


One Month Writing Challenge

by MissErikaCourt



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Character Death, Drabbles, F/F, F/M, M/M, One-Shots, Pairings, Violence, definitely some fluff, honestly mostly fluff, maybe some smut, one month writing challenge, ratings vary for every fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-09 05:23:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 31,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12881052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissErikaCourt/pseuds/MissErikaCourt
Summary: 1. Getting Lost- Bertholt/Annie2. Pet Names- Sasha/Connie3. Patching Eachother Up- Eren/Mikasa4. Hospital Visits- Eren/Mikasa5. Scar Worship- Levi/Mikasa6. Making Fun of Eachother- Jean/Eren7. A Death of Someone Close- Levi/Mikasa8. Sleeping In- Reiner/Bertholt9. Hugging- Eren/Mikasa10. Watching the Other Sleep- Levi/Mikasa11. Snowflakes- Ymir/Krista12. Having a Lazy Day- Armin/Annie13. Making Up Afterward- Levi/Mikasa14. Fight- Eren/Annie15. Teaching Eachother Something- Levi/Mikasa16. Needing Eachother- Eren/Mikasa17. Spooning- Annie/Bertholt18. Sick- Sasha/Connie19. Spoiling One Another- Ymir/Krista20. Candles- Levi/Mikasa21. Cooking- Sasha/Connie22. Competing- Eren/Annie23. Arguing- Levi/Mikasa24. Stars- Jean/Marco25. Birthday- Levi/Mikasa26. Sadness- Jean/Mikasa27. Seduction- Levi/Mikasa28. Falling in Love- Eren/Mikasa29. Doing Something Sweet- Eren/Mikasa30. Doing Something Hot- Levi/Mikasa31. Date Night- Jean/Mikasa





	1. Lost in Your Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> This first one was kind of difficult for me to write, but I think that it turned out pretty cute. Bertholt and Annie were never a pair that I really thought of writing, but they're so cute together that I had to try. Enjoy!

The journey through the titan filled landscape of Paradis had not been easy, but they were slowly making progress. Reiner had passed out a long time ago, and the fact that the sun had already set many hours ago made that reality less troubling for Bertholt. Still, being out in the open was unsettling, and being sent on this mission had all of them on edge. Regardless, they were still in need of water, and since Reiner had fallen asleep on the wide branch of one of the enormous trees in the forest which they'd chosen for shelter that night put his mind at ease. He and Annie had set out to find water all of fifteen minutes ago, and already he was terrified.

He hadn't really stopped being terrified since they left Marley, but now that they were actually here it made everything all the more real. He couldn't stop himself from fidgeting constantly, and he knew it was something that Annie had picked up on by the way she kept glancing at him. Was she worried? He didn't think so. Annie was never one to have those kinds of emotions, or really any emotions at all, so it must be something else.

Bertholt had loved Annie for possibly as long as he could remember, and now he was alone with her, walking under a starlit sky in companionable silence. Although, the silence just gave him time to fret over what Annie was thinking, and that didn't do him any favors at all. He had worried enough about what she really thought of him, but in his absentmindedness he had completely lost track of where they were going, and the forest was ridiculously confusing.

“Um, Annie, do you know where you're going?” He asked sheepishly, not daring to look at her as they walked through the enormous trees.

“I thought you were keeping track of that.” She answered with a cold glare. Bertholt wanted to think that it didn't mean anything, Annie always looked kind of cold and distant, but his anxiety was getting the best of him. He stuttered and tripped over his words when he finally did answer.

“T-the forest is confusing. It all looks the same...I'm sorry, Annie, I have no idea where we are.”

“It's fine,” Annie said with a sigh, stopping in the middle of the path they'd been walking down and looking to the right, then to the left. “If we just keep going in one direction we'll come out the other side eventually.”

She started walking again before Bertholt was really ready, but it wasn't hard for him to keep up with her short strides. In just two steps he had caught up to her again and was walking by her side, hyper-aware of her presence. He never knew what to say to her, how to make her realize how he felt about her, and even if he did say something he wasn't sure she would care.

Annie seemed singularly focused on the mission they'd been given, she never showed any kind of emotion or spoke out on her own thoughts. She was a steel trap, a mystery, and Bertholt wanted nothing more than to figure her out. He silently cursed his ridiculous shyness. He would never be able to get to know her if he kept himself from ever saying anything at all. Reiner had told him several times to go for it, that he'd seen her staring at him more than once, that she probably felt the same way, but Bertholt always talked himself out of it. After all, how could Reiner possibly know what Annie was thinking? She hardly ever spoke to him, and her expressions were always impossible to read.

He chanced a glance over at her only to realize that she had been looking at him out of the corner of her eye. His face grew red as he snapped his eyes forward and she did the same without a word. Had she really been watching him? Why? What reason did Annie have to want to look at him? It was mind-boggling. Their pace didn't slow, but suddenly Annie was turning her whole head toward him, looking at him like she wanted to say something, and he couldn't help but stare back into her gorgeous blue eyes, eyes that he had always loved, and he got lost in them.

“Bertholt,” Her voice sounded small when she spoke, vulnerable, not at all like the Annie that he knows. “Are you scared at all, about what we're about to do?”

“Of course,” He answered without thinking and blushed at the thought that he'd just admitted it. He didn't want her to think he was weak, but she _was_ the one asking him if he was scared, so maybe she was looking for validation. “Something like this is scary. We've basically been tasked with destroying a whole society all on our own, and now we're a man down.”

He winced at his own words, the death of Marcel still fresh in both of their memories. Annie didn't show if it bothered her or not, but Bertholt could have sworn he saw some kind of emotion flash through her eyes.

“Do you think we'll be able to do it?” Annie asked. It was a question that he'd been asking himself since they left Marley. Can we actually do this? Can we actually make it through this alive? It was becoming increasingly clear now that it was almost guaranteed that all of them wouldn't make it back home. They'd already lost one. They should have expected it, really. They should have prepared themselves for the worst.

“I hope so. I'd really like to go home eventually.” Bertholt smiled to himself, but it was a sad sort of smile, one that he knew wouldn't help Annie with her doubts. She wrapped her arms around herself as she walked at his side, facing forward again only for a moment as if she was thinking about something. When she turned back to him her eyes looked sad.

“I don't want to die out here like Marcel did. I want to make it back to Marley.” She admitted, looking down at the ground at her shuffling feet. This was a new feeling for Bertholt, comforting someone, or at least trying. He had the feeling he wasn't doing a very good job. And the fact that the person he was trying to comfort was Annie just made the whole situation more terrifying. Annie was never someone that needed comforting, at least that's how it seemed. Now she was being so vulnerable that it was almost surreal.

“Hey, don't worry Annie, you'll definitely make it back. I mean, you're probably the strongest out of all of us. You're the best fighter, you're probably the smartest of us too. I might be doomed, but you'll survive, I'm sure of it.” He tried a smile but he had the feeling he looked more panicked than anything.

“You'll make it too, Bertl.” She answered, still not looking at him. It was quiet, almost a whisper, and her cheeks were tinged a pretty pink under the light filtering through the treetops. He was taken aback for a moment at her admission. He'd never thought of himself as particularly strong, but Annie was standing beside him telling him that she believed he would make it back home and that somehow made him the happiest person in probably the entire world. She unfolded her arms as they walked and let them hang to her sides, and Bertholt was suddenly very aware of how close they were walking together when her hand brushed his. It was only a moment of contact, but it sent sparks shooting through his entire body that he wondered if she felt too. When he looked at her again she was looking right back at him, but their gazes both seemed to drop to their hands at the same time.

Bertholt took a deep breath and swallowed hard, extending his pinky finger just enough to brush against her skin again, and he was shocked when she laced her fingers between his own. He thought he might fall over on the ground and die right there. He felt heat rising to his face as he looked back at her, but she wasn't looking at him this time, and she had halted their movement. When Bertholt looked up again it was to see a wide expanse of land in front of them, bathed in moonlight, the end of the forest. Annie pulled him out into the field and stopped when they could see the sky. It was a clear night, and the moon was full, giving them more light than they would have otherwise had. When he tore his eyes away from the stars in the sky she was looking at him again, still holding tightly to his hand as she stared up with those gorgeous blue eyes of hers, and for probably the first time ever he saw her smile.

“We can do this,” She said, her voice strong. “We'll make it back home together, Bertl, you and me.”

For once he felt brave. He smiled and leaned down, closing the distance between them and lightly kissing her lips. He was afraid for a moment that she might pull back, but she let him persist until he was satisfied. He completely believed her words, feeling like anything was possible as long as they were together.

“As long as you're by my side, I think I might be able to do anything.” He said with a shy smile, feeling suddenly self-conscious about his actions. But one thing was for sure, he most certainly didn't feel lost anymore, not as long as he and Annie were together.


	2. Pet Names

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is very short and just fluffy and cute and I loved it.

“Honeybun, do you know where I put my jacket?” Connie called through the halls of the barracks completely oblivious to the other soldiers standing around him.

“It's on the back of the chair where you left it last night, sweetie pie,” Sasha called back, ignoring the incredulous looks from the people around her. She had a sugary sweet smile plastered on her face that could only belong to someone that was completely and utterly in love.

“What the actual fuck is happening?” Jean asked as he pulled his own jacket over his shoulders and Connie came out of his room doing the same. “What's with all these ridiculous nicknames?”

“I just love my pumpkin so much I have to let her know.” Connie cooed again as he wrapped his arms around Sasha and squeezed her tightly.

“Aw, I love my little cabbage so much!” Sasha remarked, patting his head.

“Okay, they're all foods. This is ridiculous.” Jean rolled his eyes as he started to walk away, the sounds of their cooing and sweet hums of affection were starting to make him sick.

“Aw, sugar!” Connie cooed again, petting Sasha's head like she was a dog.

“You guys do realize that we actually have a job to do!?”

“You're just jealous of what my apple dumpling and I have, aren't you, Jean? It's okay, not everyone can be as head over heels in love as we are. I'm sure you'll find someone soon.” Sasha smiled and pecked Connie's cheek when she was done talking which made Connie blush and Jean want to bang his head against the wall, possibly hard enough to knock himself out so that he wouldn't have to witness this anymore.

“Can you just get your shit together and get outside!? Heichou is gonna kill us if we're late.” Jean growled, trying and apparently failing to motivate them because they were still standing in the middle of the hall embracing each other as everyone else filtered out around them. “Ugh, this is stupid.”

“Come on, sweet potato, Jean is right. We need to get going.” Sasha said as she grabbed Connie's hand and seemingly had to rip herself away from him. Jean rolled his eyes for about the fortieth time in the last five minutes.

“Thank you,” He sighed, opening the door for them to walk out in front of him, happy that nightmare had ended. Titans were more fun than watching a couple in love.


	3. I'll Always be Here to Patch You Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did someone call for a stupidly sweet and sappy Eren/Mikasa fic? Because if so, this is the one-shot for you. There might be the tiniest bit of angst at the beginning, but other than that it's the fluffiest fluff you've ever seen (probably). Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, technically it is the third of December where I am, and I'll have a busy day tomorrow, so enjoy this just a bit early.

Another mission had ended and left Eren with a litany of wounds and scrapes, the worst being the huge gash above his left eye and a few broken ribs. It hurt him to move much, but he didn't really have to. Mikasa had been fretting over him ever since they'd gotten back through the gates. He was surprised she'd let him walk away from the wagon on his own.

“Eren, let me help you.” She said as she eased him down onto the bed in his room. It wasn't strange for her to be in his room, not normally, but somehow this time felt different. It definitely felt different when she started lifting the hem of his shirt and trying to peel it off of his body and over his head.

“W-what? Mikasa!? What are you doing?” He asked, jerking the shirt away from her and wincing at the sudden movement. He could feel his cheeks getting red as he stared into her eyes. She looked just as calm and collected as ever, not hurt in the slightest at his actions, but he was silently freaking out. Okay, maybe not so silently.

“I'm trying to help you wrap your ribs so that they'll heal.” She said as if she didn't understand why he was being so difficult. Sure, she'd seen him shirtless plenty of times before, but he felt a little more self-conscious this time, for whatever reason.

“I-I can do it. Don't worry about me.” He tried to shrug off the pain but as always she could see right through his facade. When she moved to lift his shirt this time it was much more slowly, more deliberate, and there was something there in her eyes that he couldn't quite place. He somehow couldn't find the fight that had overwhelmed him just a moment ago, and gently lifted his arms to allow her to remove it. It hurt, even that slight motion, and he saw the pain in her eyes as he hissed, sucking in a sharp breath. He looked down at himself and already saw an ugly bruise forming on his torso. There were probably three or more broken ribs under his skin. He knew they would heal quickly, but they should still be wrapped. Titan powers or not, some conventional medicine still had to be applied to him when he was hurt.

“I'm sorry.” Mikasa apologized as she tossed his shirt to the side. He knew what she was apologizing for, and it wasn't for hurting him when she took his shirt off.

“It wasn't your fault. You weren't even in my squad for this mission, how did you expect to protect me?” He asked, turning his head to the side. “Not like I need you there to protect me all the time anyway.”

“I just don't like seeing you hurt.” Her voice was soft, it was always soft when she talked to him, and she couldn't quite meet his eyes when she said it. He hated how she constantly worried about him, but he knew that it was only because she cared. He wished that she didn't care so much sometimes because he knew it only put her in danger too.

She reached into a first aid kit then, pulling out a roll of bandages and moving closer to him, kneeling between his legs and placing the end of the bandages gingerly against his skin. Her hand was warm when it touched his chest, but it still managed to send a shiver down his spine.

“Hold that there.” She said, taking his hand and moving it to where she'd placed the bandage. He watched her work, slowly wrapping the bandages around his midsection, making sure that they were tight enough to stay in place but not so tight that they would be uncomfortable. She didn't look up at him again until she clipped the bandage in place and smoothed her hand gently over her work. They held eye contact for only a moment before both of them apparently felt so embarrassed that they had to turn away.

“There's a bad cut on your forehead too. Do you want me to get Hanji? I could probably stitch it myself, but she could definitely do a better job.” Mikasa said, still kneeling between his legs. Why did that make him feel so, so...what exactly did it make him feel? Hot. All over. He couldn't take it. He desperately needed to move, or make her move. Something had to happen, right now.

“N-no, you can do it. I trust you.” He said, pushing himself back a little further on the bed and wincing at the movement. He wished his stupid ribs would just heal already. She got up from her position between his legs and he let out a steady breath, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He would need a cold shower after this. Really cold.

Mikasa dug through the first aid kit again, retrieving a hooked needle, and some medical grade thread along with an alcohol swab. She pulled a chair over this time and Eren silently thanked whatever gods were looking out for him today.

“There's nothing in the kit to numb you with. This is probably going to hurt a little.” She said as she threaded the needled with a practiced precision, or maybe she was just naturally good at it like she was at everything else.

“It's fine. I can take it.” He said, trying to sound macho. Since when had he ever felt the need to do that around Mikasa? She only smiled, shaking her head a bit before she scooted the chair closer and, holy shit, he was not ready for this close proximity. He thought that her kneeling between his legs had been bad, but now she was so close to him that he could smell her. He could feel her breath against his skin as she placed a hand delicately on his chin, moving his head to the side to give her a better view of the injury.

“Here, hold this.” She said, handing him the needle before she tore into the packaged alcohol swab. She gently dabbed at the gash on his forehead and he tried his best not to wince at the stinging, but he couldn't help it. He always hated this part. She looked concerned for a moment before she started to blow on the injury in an effort to cool the stinging. It might have worked, but it heated up the rest of his body. He was sure he was probably as red as a tomato at this point.

She reached down to grab the needle then and placed one hand on his forehead before she brought the needle up and began stitching. She was so concentrated on her work that he was sure she wouldn't notice that he was staring at her face. At least he hoped she didn't because that would be kind of embarrassing.

She looked so concentrated, so serious, just like she always does, but there was a softness to her expression that he was sure she only let him see. She looked like it hurt her to hurt him like she might cry any moment. As he surveyed her features, though, he noticed that she was hurt too. There was a bruise forming on her cheek, a little bit of blood dripping down from her hairline, but other than that she looked completely untouched.

“How did you get hurt?” He asked before he even really thought about it, and her hands stilled in their motions for only a moment before she was stitching again.

“A little bit of debris hit me, that's all. It's nothing. You don't need to worry about me, Eren, you're in worse shape than I am.” She answered, not looking at him, but he could tell she meant every word she said. How she was so flippant about her injuries was a mystery to him.

“Well, at least let me help you clean your wounds, it's the least I can do after all this.”

“Fine,” She answered, finishing off her stitches and clipping the extra thread off. Her fingers slid off of his forehead like she didn't ever want the contact to end, and she finally looked into his eyes. He hadn't ever really realized how beautiful and dark her eyes were. They were full of so many emotions that he couldn't pick them apart and realized he shouldn't at the moment because he had a job to do. He reached up cautiously and brushed her hair out of the way, hearing the way her breath hitched at his touch, and examined the small cut in her hairline.

“I don't think it needs stitches or anything,” He said quietly, not removing his hand but reaching over to the first aid kit with his other and bringing out an alcohol swab. He ripped it open with his teeth and gently dabbed it over the cut. She didn't wince or hiss like he had done, and her eyes never left his face as he cleaned the blood off of her skin. “Are you hurt anywhere else? Besides this bruise?”

He tossed the alcohol swab into a nearby trashcan and let his fingers graze the bruise, that time she did wince, although he wasn't sure if it was because the contact hurt or if it had something to do with the little gasp that left her lips at the same time. Regardless, purple wasn't the only color that was gracing her cheeks anymore. He suddenly couldn't hold back a smile.

“I'm fine.” She said quietly, casting her eyes downward. It seemed like she couldn't bear to look at him anymore, and he wasn't exactly sure why because he was fairly certain that he could keep looking into her eyes all damn day and never get tired of it.

“If you're sure.” He said, withdrawing his hand from her face and instantly regretting the loss of contact. He knew she felt the same way when she looked back up at him. He felt suddenly awkward but still wanted to say something else. “Thanks for taking care of me and stuff. It's way better getting taken care of by you instead of Hanji.”

“I'll always be here to patch you up, Eren.” She said coyly, her hand moving to his knee and, god damn it, he couldn't take it anymore. He swallowed hard, trying to push his nerves down because this was Mikasa and he didn't want to fuck anything up but she was driving him crazy. He moved forward slightly, sitting on the very edge of the bed, getting as close to her as he could.

“I know,” He said, and then he was kissing her and he wasn't even sure how it had happened but it just felt right. Apparently, it felt right for her too because her hands were in his hair, tugging gently, massaging his scalp and _god_ it felt like heaven. He pulled away breathlessly and looked into her eyes, knowing that every word she'd said was true, because they were all reflected there, and he knew that she was seeing the same thing in his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I was going to gift this to amethystaa but I realized you can't do that with chapters in existing stories. Anyway, here's your happy fic where Eren is not dead. Happy endings for Eren! Yay!


	4. Stay With Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember how I said it's impossible for me to write without angst, well here's some proof. Haha
> 
> I really enjoyed writing this one, so I hope you all enjoy reading it!

Mikasa really wasn't sure why she kept coming back. The doctors had all told her that there was very little chance that Eren would wake up again, but she was always there, sitting by his side, just in case. It had been a freak accident that landed him there. Even in his titan form, Eren wasn't invincible, and she knew that, but the fact that he'd been so hurt still shocked her. It was hard for her to protect him when he was so reckless, and that always happened when he was a titan. He wasn't invincible, but that's how he felt. They'd all tried to tell him, but this time he learned it the hard way.

She sat quietly by his bedside, willing herself not to cling to his hand and cry like she had done all the other days she'd been here with him. Everyone but herself and Armin had stopped coming to see him, giving up hope that they'd ever be able to speak with him again, but she just knew that he would come back to her. He had to. She wouldn't know what else to do with herself otherwise. She'd always been there for him, to keep him safe and make sure he was comfortable, but this time she felt completely helpless.

Her eyes were fixed on the bandages that had been wrapped around his head. All of his broken bones were slowly healing, but it had been close to two weeks, and that was much longer than it normally took. Hanji said his slowed regeneration was probably due to the fact that his body was literally fighting to just keep him alive, and that alone had been enough to make Mikasa shed a tear. She could feel the pity that everyone took on her every time she walked past them, and she chose to keep her eyes trained on the ground. If she had to acknowledge that they were all looking at her she might just snap and beat them to a pulp, and she knew that wouldn't do anything but make everyone feel even worse for her. That wasn't what she wanted.

She just wanted Eren to wake up, more than anything else in the world. More than she wanted the titans to disappear, more than she wanted to have a normal life. Nothing would matter if Eren didn't live. Nothing that she'd ever done would be worth anything because everything she'd done to this point had been for _him_. She looked up when she heard the door open and Armin was there, slowly walking toward her with that sad look on his face, the same one that she knew she'd been wearing since they returned from the mission.

“Has anything changed?” He asked as he stopped behind her chair. She couldn't find her voice to speak so she just shook her head, her hand finding Eren's and holding onto it tightly. “He'll wake up Mikasa. He has to.”

“I know,” She said, closing her eyes against the stinging tears that were once again threatening to spill over. Crying had become something that she did a lot these days, even though she hated to admit it.

“He's strong, he always has been. At least strong-willed, anyway. He'll make it through. Hanji says he's still healing slowly, so that's a good sign. We might not know much about the titan shifters, but their bodies are way stronger than ours. If anyone can pull through this it's him,” Armin wanted to sound like he believed what he was saying, but Mikasa could hear the uncertainty. She could hear it in the voice of everyone that kept telling her that Eren would survive. It was always there because no one really knew for sure what exactly would happen, and that scared her.

“If he dies...I don't know what I'll do,” She said quietly, squeezing Eren's hand harder, and she felt Armin's hand on her shoulder. She leaned into his touch slightly, letting her longtime friend comfort her for what felt like the hundredth time since they'd gotten Eren back to safety.

“He won't die,” Armin's voice shook as he spoke, and his fingers tightened a little on her shoulder, but somehow she felt like he meant what he was saying. Somehow she felt like what he'd said was accurate. If nothing else, Eren would will himself to live so that his friends didn't have to suffer, because that was the kind of person Eren Yeager had always been. He wouldn't stop now.

 

oOo

 

The second week blurred into the third, but Mikasa never stopped going to visit him. Armin's visits had become less and less frequent, and Mikasa wasn't sure if that was because he was just tired of seeing Eren broken like that or if it was wearing on Armin's sanity. Regardless, she didn't question him. She went to see him during the times she wasn't with Eren, trying to make him feel like everything wasn't lost. They were a comfort to each other, even if they both knew that they were still worried about their friend.

The bandages had been removed from Eren's head a while ago, but only after Hanji had been satisfied with how well the deep gash it had been covering had healed. It was still a good sign. He was still healing. He was still _fighting_. That alone gave Mikasa hope.

She'd been alone in the room with him today for nearly three hours. No one else had come to see him all day, at least since she'd been there, but she had the feeling that he didn't want to be alone. She wasn't sure if she was going crazy or not, but she felt like she had a sense of what Eren was thinking, and she knew he was thinking, _dreaming_ , because every once in a while she could see his eyelids twitch. The first few times it happened she thought he might finally be waking up, but it had been a tease, and one that wasn't very welcomed.

She'd made a makeshift pillow out of her scarf, laying her head down beside Eren's hand on the bed, and leaning over from the chair she sat in. It wasn't particularly comfortable, but she'd somehow managed to fall asleep like that, and she was woken up by the feeling of someone running fingers through her hair. She thought it might be a dream at first, letting her eyes flutter open slowly and adjust to the light, but her consciousness came rushing back to her when she realized that there wasn't anyone else in the room. No one else but Eren, and he was running his fingers through her hair and looking down at her sleeping form.

“Eren!” She tried to shout but it came out as more of a whisper as she practically threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his torso and only pulling back when she heard him groan at the contact. Of course, he was still injured, but she'd been so excited to see those jade green eyes staring down at her that she'd practically forgotten everything else in the world.

“Why are you sleeping like that? Aren't you uncomfortable?” Eren asked, his voice rough and scratchy from being underused. She blinked up at him blearily, of course, he was asking her that question. Of course, he was concerned for _her_ right now when he was the one that had just woken up from a coma.

“I can't believe you're awake.” She said, gently laying her head down on his chest. He didn't wince or groan, so she was sure he was okay with the pressure there. “Don't you ever do that to me again!”

“What happened?” He asked, his hands listlessly carding through her hair as he spoke. She let the feeling relax her and calm her nerves, her excitement that he'd woken up, she was just so happy.

“You were hurt on the last mission. They...they didn't think you were ever going to wake up.” She explained, turning her head to the side so that she could look up at him because she never wanted to stop looking at his eyes ever again. “You were in a coma for two and a half weeks.”

“Two and a half...” He trailed off, looking somewhat shocked. “Have you been here the whole time?”

“I came back every day because I knew you would come back to me. Just, don't ever leave again, okay?” She felt ridiculous, pleading with him to promise her that he would always stay with her, but for some reason, he smiled at her and that made her heart melt.

“Of course,” He said, looking into her eyes. “I'll always stay right by your side.”


	5. Show Me Your Scars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one has a rating of T because it has mentions of sex. 
> 
> This was the one I was most excited to write about, and I thought it fit Levi and Mikasa so perfectly. It's my favorite so far. I really love it. I hope you all enjoy it too.

Mikasa had always enjoyed these peaceful moments with Levi. She loved laying with him, being tangled up in the sheets of their bed, feeling his skin against hers, breathing in the scent of him, but today was a little different. Today she started to notice all of the different marks on his skin that she hadn't taken the time to appreciate before. Scars told the story of the kind of life a person lived, the injuries they sustained while living it, and how they got to the place they are today. Levi's scars were a road map to his innermost turmoil, the things that make him tick, the pain behind those dark, mysterious eyes.

She smoothed her hand over a scar that had caught her interest today, one that stretched over the expanse of his back, running diagonally from his right shoulder blade to his left side. It was large, and she was surprised she hadn't noticed it before, but she so rarely got to observe him the way she was doing now.

“What happened here?” She asked, her fingers barely brushing his skin as she ran them gently along the length of the scar. He turned his head, watching her over his shoulder.

“The underground.” He said casually, not offering anything else, but she wanted to know more. She adored his scars, the stories they must hold, she wanted to know everything about how he'd gotten them, about the people that had given them to him, about what happened to those people after they dared to lay a hand on him.

“How did it happen?” She hadn't stopped tracing the scar, and her feather-light touches were raising goosebumps on his skin.

“Kenny put me in a fight, the guy had a knife I wasn't aware of. It happened too fast for me to react. I still won, though.” He answered smugly, pushing himself up to rest on his elbows, still looking half interested over his shoulder. She grabbed a shoulder and turned him over, inspecting his chest for more scars. She knew they were there, and she wanted to know the story behind every one of them. He looked at her with hooded eyes, desire still clear in them regardless of his inability to act on it at the moment.

“What about this one?” She pointed to a small scar on his right pectoral. It was fading, almost nonexistent, but still there.

“That was one of my mother's clients. He didn't enjoy a kid being in the room during his visit. She was so terrified after he attacked me she threw him out and told him never to come back. She hid me any time she had a client after that, too.” He was watching her with rapt attention, but she wasn't looking at his face. She had never realized just how many scars he actually had. He'd always seemed so untouchable as if nothing could ever get close enough to leave a mark on his body. The one on his back was the biggest, but it definitely wasn't the only one. There were more scars on his torso than she could count, one in his hairline, just to the side of where he parted his hair, small marks all over his arms, his legs, his hands. It was almost too much and, to be honest, it was a little sexy too. Still, she had the feeling there were many more emotional scars than physical ones.

She took his hand, turning it over in her own, tracing the small white lines that covered fingers and knuckles and looked at him expectantly, not even asking the question, just waiting for an answer.

“Maneuvering gear is difficult sometimes. Even I can't get away without a few nicks and cuts to my hands from the blades.”

“Maybe you shouldn't hold them like an idiot then.” She teased.

“It's worked out for me so far.”

“Why are you suddenly so interested in my scars?” He asked it so casually that it took her by surprise. He'd been going along with it thus far without asking any questions, but that could have just been because his sex-fogged mind hadn't allowed him to do so until this very moment.

“It never occurred to me that you might have any scars. I was surprised to see them.” She answered flippantly, but the look in his eyes told her that he didn't quite believe her.

“As many times as you've been with me like this, you can't tell me that you've never noticed my scars.” He pressed and, okay, maybe she had noticed them a little. They'd just never been so attractive until now.

“Maybe I just didn't care until now.”

“Brat.” He answered, pulling her down closer and tracing a thumb over the scar on her cheek. “What about you? Will you show me all your scars?”

Her breath hitched for a moment and she suddenly felt the urge to just kiss him and try to take his mind off of the whole ordeal.

“Yes,” She answered instead, her voice breathy and full of desire. He smirked at that and let his eyes linger on the same scar he'd been touching.

“That's from Eren,” She felt a blush creep onto her face at the mention of her past lover's name. Sure, he'd been dead for a while, but she'd loved him more than she'd ever loved anyone else. Mentioning him here, in this intimate setting, with their still naked bodies pressed so closely together just seemed wrong. “It was one of the first times he shifted into his titan form. When he was closing the breach of the wall in Trost. He lost control and attacked me and a piece of debris scratched my face.”

“Hm,” Levi hummed, but his thumb didn't stop tracing the scar over and over, his touch sending electricity through her entire body. She kind of hated how he could do that to her. After that he rolled her off of him, pushing her onto her back and looming over her. Her heart threatened to beat out of her chest as his eyes raked over her exposed body, but she couldn't stand to keep her eyes off of him.

“Are you just enjoying the view or are you going to ask about my other scars?” She snarked, wondering if it would have the desired effect on him or if he would just brush it off. His eyes snapped up to hers for only a moment before he eased himself down on the bed beside her and started looking for a new scar to question her about. His eyes lingered on one just above her collarbone, although they dipped down a few times to admire something a little lower. He grazed his fingers over the scar just as lightly as she had touched the one on his back, and now she knew why he had shivered under the ministrations.

“This one,” He said, watching her pointedly.

“That one was from when I was a little girl. I fell when I was playing outside. I thought my father was going to die after he saw all the blood. He didn't leave gardening tools lying around in the yard after that.”

His gaze dropped lower, to one on her abdomen, right above her bellybutton. He pointed and wait for an answer.

“That one was from hand to hand combat practice, the time I fought Annie. I still won, but she left her mark on me anyway.” She thought back to how her blood had boiled at the thought of Annie being able to harm her, and that was what had pushed her to win the fight. She could still remember the look of defeat on Annie's face, the way all of her classmates had stared her down when she stood over the blonde-haired girl after her victory. She felt the power she'd felt that day all over again.

“You fought the female titan and won in hand to hand combat?” He asked, and she realized that he wouldn't have known that because that was before she'd met him.

“She still left a scar, so did I really even win anything?” She asked, feeling some of the self-depreciation that she'd felt that day. She still went through the same thought processes even now, and she'd thought she had changed that.

“Your scars are beautiful,” Levi said, bending down to kiss the scar he'd just questioned and setting her heart back into a panic. He moved up to lay next to her again, pulling her in close and nuzzling the side of her neck. Yes, she genuinely enjoyed the tender moments they shared after sex. That and his scars.

 


	6. Too Far

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I first wrote this I kind of hated it, but I actually really like it now. lol
> 
> I've never been a Jean/Eren shipper, but this prompt was too perfect for them to pass it up. So, here you go. It's kinda dumb. Oh well. Hope you enjoy!

Eren really fucking hated Jean Kirstein. At least he had at first, now he couldn't say the same. The things Jean used to do that drove him up the wall, his stupid jokes and his offhanded comments and his god damn horse face now drove him crazy for a different reason. Eren actually kind of liked Jean's horse face now. It was the cutest horse face he had probably ever seen. He hated admitting that, but not as much as he hated that Jean's snarky replies and stupid sarcasm were actually more endearing now than malicious.

The heated arguments that they used to have about pride and morals melted away as more and more of their friends died. Eren watched Jean fall apart when he lost Marco, and Jean watched Eren fall apart when he lost Armin. Somehow, under these horrible circumstances, they were brought together. They weren't exactly sure how it happened, but it did, and they were somehow glad for it. However, that didn't mean that their attitudes had really changed, and Jean and Eren were still known to get into a bit of a scrap. Of course, it usually ended with a few much more fun activities when they were alone, to make up for all the horrible things they inevitably said to each other, but that made it all the more fun for them.

“I don't know how a single person can be so god damn stupid!” Jean yelled at Eren as the rest of their squad looked on. Of course, Mikasa was always there to break up the argument if it got too heated, it had been an established rule to keep them from beating the shit out of each other in the heat of the moment. Because, as much as they really did care for each other, they still knew exactly how to get under each other's skin.

“I'm stupid!?” Eren laughed humorlessly as he looked at Jean, his eyes burning with the anger he could feel bubbling up inside. “At least I have the common decency to want to fight for humanity instead of just for myself! Fuck! How much more selfish can you really be!?”

“At least I'm smart enough not to just go charging headlong into a battle that I'm not sure I can win! You think you're invincible because you're a fifteen meter giant with no dick!”

“Oh, fuck you!” Eren always got the most pissed off about the no dick jokes. He couldn't help a titan's anatomy. Plus, Jean seemed to like his dick just fine when he was a human. He thought about saying that, but he knew it would just end in embarrassment for the both of them.

“Wow, great comeback! Really creative!” Jean rolled his eyes and smirked and god damn it he _kn_ _o_ _w_ _s_ what that smirk does to Eren.

“You're just jealous because you get all the stupid little jobs that don't get you any recognition. I'm surprised Heichou even put you in the squad. You're pretty useless, to be honest.”

“Yeah, just about as useless as a titan shifter that can't fucking control his titan! Honestly, you're more of a liability than anything. Not sure why Heichou agreed to take on _that_ responsibility. I would have just let the MPs have you.”

“Hm, I don't know, probably because he knows that I'm the last hope that humanity has to beat the titans! Who was the one that plugged up the hole in the wall at Trost again? Oh, that's right, it was fucking ME!” Eren smirked at that, feeling pride in what he'd accomplished.

“Yeah, after you attacked Mikasa and tried to destroy the rest of the city. Good job. Pat yourself on the back for that one, dickless wonder.”

“My titan might not have a dick but at least it doesn't have a stupid horse face.”

“I'd rather have a horse face than no dick.”

They were at a standstill now, and Eren wasn't about to lose this argument. He'd decided against it before, but now he didn't see any other choice. He would have to pull out all the stops if he wanted to put Jean in his place. He steeled himself against the weight of what he was about to say in front of his whole squad and prepared for the fallout.

“You seem awfully upset about my titan not having a dick, Jean. Is the human version not enough for you? You seemed to like it just fine last night.” He said, his face completely serious, his tone calm and collected, and Jean froze. It wasn't easy to render Jean speechless, but Eren had succeeded in doing it. The whole room seemed to go quiet and they were all staring at Eren and Jean, Heichou included. It wasn't exactly a secret that they were a thing, but they didn't really flaunt it in public, especially during as public a spectacle as this. Eren felt smug. He'd won this one, he could tell by the look on Jean's face. There was nothing that Jean could say that would top that one. Jean just nodded as his face turned a little red, glancing around the room he took his leave and Eren smirked at the fact that he had bested him. Connie walked up after that, laughing so hard he was crying.

“I think it's pretty safe to say he's not gonna use the 'no dick' thing anymore. Oh my god, Eren. You shut him up _fast_.” Connie wiped a tear away from his eye as he spoke, patting Eren on the shoulder.

“He's gotta learn that I'm the best somehow.” Eren smiled brightly as he looked toward the door.

“Yeah, well, you better go after him and apologize or he's gonna hold it against you forever.”

“Probably right about that. See you later.” Eren waved and departed the cafeteria to make his way toward Jean's room. He knew that's where he would be, that's where he always was after he lost one of their little arguments. He knocked on the door and Jean answered with a sour expression on his face.

“Too far, Eren.” He said in way of a greeting. Eren pushed past him and made his way into the room with that same smug smile still on his face.

“Yeah yeah, sorry, but you know how much I hate it when you bring that up.”

“Probably as much as I hate being publicly shamed.” Jean huffed and closed the door.

“Aw, come on, no one is shaming you. No one judges us for this.”

“Mm,” Jean hummed angrily and threw himself onto his bed, throwing his arm over his face and covering his eyes.

“What a crybaby. You can dish it but you can't take it, huh?” Eren walked over to the bed and sat down. He didn't feel bad for what he'd said, just for the fact that Jean was having such a hard time with it.

“I can take it just fine.”

“Yeah, I know, and so does everyone else now.” Eren laughed and placed his hand on Jean's knee.

“Not what I meant you pervert!” Jean growled through gritted teeth. “Sometimes I wonder why I even put up with you.”

“Because you loooooove meeeeee.” Eren sing-songed and laid his head on Jean's chest. He knew that the other man couldn't resist his eyes, they were his weakness. All Eren had to do was give Jean a bright smile and look right in his eyes and he was automatically cleared of anything wrong he'd done that day. It worked just as well as Eren thought it would.

“You're an idiot,” Jean said with a grin.

“Yeah, but I'm your idiot.”

“Great.”

Eren wasn't really a sap, but he thought that moments like this were kind of perfect. He used to hate Jean Kirstein, but now he thought he might kind of love him.


	7. Cruel World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did someone order some angst? Because it's kinda hard to write for this prompt without it.

The battle was raging around them, but Mikasa couldn't stop to think. That was the way it always was. All she wanted was to find Eren, to make sure he was okay, to make sure that he would survive just one more fight, but the only thing she could do was keep slicing. Keep cutting away at the monsters that had stolen their lives from them. All she could do was fight to the end.

She knew her squad was capable, she was part of Levi's squad after all, and they were all handpicked by the Captain himself. Still, she couldn’t help but be concerned, even through the animal instinct that was telling her to _keep fighting_ to keep going because that's the only thing she _could_ do. That was the only way she could keep herself focused enough to not go screaming toward Eren.

The titans had ambushed them, coming out of the woods with such fierceness that none of them had seen it coming. She knew they weren't smart enough to lay in wait for the squad there, at least not these ones, but she couldn't help but think that it was somehow premeditated. It seemed too perfect, too planned like someone knew that they would be coming this way and laid the trap in advance. She wouldn't have put it past the traitors that had made it into their ranks, to lay a deadly trap like this in hopes that they could wipe out the most elite soldiers of the Survey Corps. However, it seemed that they had forgotten the most important thing. These soldiers, the people that were around her fighting for their lives right now, they were _the best_. There was no way they would go down without a fight.

She heard a scream to her left, looking over to see Jean cut down a titan just before it got to Sasha. She breathed a sigh of relief before she zipped away to take down another titan, Levi in front of her doing the same. There was something wrong, though. She could feel it like a storm barreling up on them from the horizon. When she looked behind her she knew exactly what the feeling was.

Mikasa's eyes went wide as she took the scene in, Eren in the clutches of some profoundly dumb looking beast, his eyes wide with terror as he bit down on his hand and _nothing happened_. She froze. There wasn't anything that she could do. She couldn't will her legs to move. She couldn't make her body function as she watched the titan bringing Eren closer and closer until she closed her eyes. A blood-curdling scream. A slicing noise. A thud. She could feel the dust from the ground sweep around her, the strong gust of air that told her that someone had felled the titan, but too late.

She finally opened her eyes to see Levi standing in front of the titan, Eren's lifeless body in its grasp as steam rose around them. Levi was covered in blood, whether it was Eren's or the titan's she wasn't sure, but it didn't matter. Everyone was silent. They'd killed all the titans in the area, but the last kill had been far too late.

Before she knew it she was running over to the horrible scene. She couldn't feel sadness or grief at the moment, no, the only thing she felt was rage. Horrible, deafening, rage coursing through her body as she tackled Levi to the ground. She plunged her sword into the ground right beside his head. If only she'd had the strength to just plunge it into him. He was the reason. He was the one that couldn't save Eren in time. Levi was the one responsible, and even if he wasn't, she had decided that it was his fault.

“Why!? Why didn't you save him!?” She shouted as she took a fist full of his hair and slammed his head down against the ground. She knew that he should be fighting back, that he should be trying to push her off of him and protect himself, but he was just lying there underneath her, taking the punishment she was dolling out, and she could have sworn that she saw a tear slide down his face.

“I'm sorry.” He said quietly. Maybe too quietly for the rest of their comrades to hear, but she didn't care about anyone else at the moment. All she could think about was Eren, his lifeless body lying on the ground just a few meters away. Levi underneath her bearing the responsibility of what had happened.

“You could have helped him! You were right there!” She was crying now, screaming her feelings in his face as her hands trembled. She lost the grip she'd had on his hair, letting it slip through her fingers. Her body slacked against his until she was just a sobbing heap lying against his chest. She knew he didn't know what to do, how to comfort her in this moment because he was hurting too, maybe just as much as she was. He knew that he had been so close to saving Eren, so close that he probably believed he _had_ saved him. The reality of the situation probably didn't hit him until after Mikasa had attacked him, and now they were both a mess, lying on the muddy ground.

Mikasa felt his arms wrap around her and she didn't have the strength to fight it. She just laid there, sobbing against him, letting him try to comfort her, but she knew that nothing would help. They were both crying, her much louder than him, but crying nonetheless.

“I'm sorry.” He repeated again, his voice more strained this time than the last. She couldn’t speak back, though. There was nothing she could say to him. She still blamed him, she had to because if she blamed herself it would be the end. She wouldn't be able to fight anymore, not with the pressure of Eren's death looming over her. Not knowing that she could have done something and didn't. Couldn't. Because she was too afraid.

She pushed herself off of him, arms shaking as she bore her own body weight, snatching her sword out of the ground. She didn't help Levi up, she couldn’t even look at him. If she looked at him she would know how horrible he felt and then it would be harder to pin it all on him, so she turned away and let Jean wrap her in his cloak. She let him lead her back to a wagon and load her into it, and she let him comfort her the whole way back to the walls even though it wasn't much comfort at all. She'd just lost the only man she'd ever loved. There was nothing left that could comfort her again in this cruel, horrible world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There I go killing Eren again. I'm not sure why I always kill him. It just seems like the right thing to do. lol
> 
> I hope this was enjoyable...or heartbreaking...probably both.


	8. Sleeping In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I tried. Haha

Reiner really never could understand how Bertholt could sleep in the crazy positions he did. He should be a contortionist, the way he twists his body like that. Reiner didn't get it. How could one person be _so_ flexible? He wasn't sad about it, he just didn't get it.

“Bertl, let's get up and do something fun.” Reiner cooed into Bertholt's ear in an attempt to wake him up. One of Bertholt's other many talents though was sleeping like a rock. The dark-haired man just groaned and somehow managed to contort his body even more as he turned over.

Reiner didn't really like staying in bed all day, and nine o'clock wasn't _all day_ by any stretch of the imagination, but he knew that if he didn't start trying to wake Bertholt up now he just wouldn't be able to do it at a decent hour at all.

“Bert,” He tried again, resting his hand on Bertholt's shoulder and shaking him gently, although probably not as gently as Bertholt would have liked. “I'm gonna go make some coffee. You don't wanna miss coffee do you?”

“Reiner, it's _too early_.” Bertholt moaned in a terribly cute and sleepy voice that Reiner loved hearing. Really that was the only reason he ever tried to wake Bertholt up early in the morning. That voice was his favorite on Bertholt. “Can't we just sleep in a little longer?”

“Do you really wanna sleep your whole day away?”

“Yes.” Bertholt's cute, sleepy voice was blunt now. He was completely serious.

“That's a waste,” Reiner said with a little frown. He had always been a morning person, but Bertholt was a completely different story.

Bertholt rolled over then, returning his body's positioning to something of a more normal state and reached out to pull Reiner closer to him.

“Just a little bit longer.” Bertholt said effectively making Reiner into the 'little spoon'.

“Fine, fine.” Reiner relented, enjoying the warmth of Bertholt's body against his. He may not particularly like sleeping in all day, but cuddling is a different story. He'd always been a cuddler. This way Reiner thought they could both get what they wanted, and he supposed that was a good enough reason to sleep in just a little while longer.


	9. Hugging

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt is loose with this one. 
> 
> It's okay though because it still turned out pretty cute. =)

Mikasa was cold, and she didn't think it was because of the snow around them. The snow that was peacefully floating to the ground, silently covering the surrounding area, sticking to eyelashes and melting in their hair. No. She was cold for a different, more terrifying reason. She was cold because she'd just watched both of her parents die in front of her eyes. She was cold because she had just _killed_ one of the men responsible for her parents' deaths. All for the sake of the boy standing in front of her.

She wasn't really sure why she cared about him. She was grateful that he had helped her get revenge, but this boy was someone that she had never met before tonight. This boy, that risked his life to try and make sure she was safe, didn't mean anything to her before that very moment. When the man was choking him, threatening to kill the boy for what he'd done. She just knew that she cared and she had to do something. All other reasoning had fled with her fear as she drove the knife into the man's back and ended his life.

And now she was cold. So, _so,_ cold.

For the longest time the boy, Eren, just stood in front of her watching her as she stared at the ground. The only reason she even knew he was watching her was that she could _feel_ it. Those big, green eyes that reminded her of emeralds boring into her soul through the top of her head. So, it came as a shock to her when she felt something warm wrapping around her neck. She looked up to see that Eren had removed the scarf he'd been wearing only moments ago and was now winding it around her, draping the last remaining bit over the top of her head like it would provide extra warmth there. It felt nice, like a reassuring hug that was telling her that everything would be alright. She just needed to give it time.

“It's warm, isn't it?” Eren asked in a low voice as he stepped away from her slightly. She could only bring herself to nod. Somewhere in that house, she'd lost her voice. She wasn't sure if it would ever come back. “You can keep it.”

It was nice, the feeling of the warm wool against her skin, reminding her that she was safe now with Eren and his father. But that wouldn't last forever. She would have to find somewhere to go now that she was alone. She scanned the area to see Doctor Jaeger striding forward, watching her with those same intense, green eyes, the eyes that Eren had no doubt inherited from him.

“Mikasa, do you remember me?” He asked in the soft voice that she remembered from all the times he'd visited her with her parents.

Her parents that were still lying dead inside her house.

 _Cold_.

Mikasa only nodded, the same way she'd replied to Eren moments ago.

She watched the crackling fire that they'd built, watching the snow melt around it before she turned her eyes upward to look at Doctor Jaeger again. This time she felt like she might be able to speak. She had to because she needed to know the answer to her questions.

“Where will I go, Doctor Jaeger? Where can I call home now?” Her voice was fragile, smaller than she'd remembered it sounding before the incident.

 _Cold_.

She pulled the scarf tighter around her face.

“We'd like you to come live with us.”

She looked from Doctor Jaeger to Eren, who was staring at her intently, his face a mask that she couldn't quite decipher. She blinked a few times as the snowflakes fell on her eyelashes. She wasn't really sure what to say. The events of the night were still burned into her mind, but these kind people, this boy that had saved her life, were offering her a place to stay.

Eren moved forward and reached into the too-big coat that had been draped around her shoulders at some point, taking her hand and pulling slightly.

“Come on,” He said, his thumb skimming lightly across her knuckles in a comforting way. “Let's go home.”

She let him lead her away, relishing the warmth of his hand, the comfort of the scarf that felt like a hug, and she _finally_ felt something other than cold.


	10. Sleeping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is a drabble if I've ever written one. There is no real plot, just feelings. It's okay, I think it turned out kinda cute. Enjoy!

The mission had been long, and hard, and tiring, but it was something that was absolutely necessary. The infiltration of Marley was something that had to happen. There was no getting around it. Levi thought that the infiltration itself would probably be easy, it was the trip there that was grueling.

However, despite how weary he actually felt, he still sat up most nights. Sleep evaded him, even when he felt like he could drop from exhaustion. So, many nights he sat up in whatever shelter he and Mikasa could find. She slept, bundled up in her cloak, like a rock, no matter where they were. He envied her. He wished that he could fall asleep so suddenly and stay asleep until morning, but that had never been how he worked. Insomnia was an old friend for Levi.

Tonight was no different. Mikasa had passed out several hours earlier, curled in on herself, her cloak draped over her shoulders in the cave that they'd deemed suitable shelter for the night. Levi was sure to keep a small fire roaring at her side. The warmth was comforting for him, and he knew she appreciated it as well, judging by the way her arms were wrapped around her body. The way she shivered slightly every now and then.

He felt strange, watching her like this, but it always helped to ease his mind in a way. The pure serenity of her sleeping face was calming, even given the circumstances. He wondered if he looked like that on the rare occasions that _he_ could sleep. Was his face peaceful, or did he still wear the same scowl that he did when he was awake? He assumed it was probably the latter.

Mikasa shivered again, despite the fact that it wasn't all that cold outside, so Levi took off his jacket and draped it over her, hoping it wouldn't be enough motion to wake her. It wasn't, of course, since waking Mikasa from her slumber was much like trying to wake the dead. He rolled his eyes at the thought of having to wake her up in the morning but allowed himself to smile, only a little. He'd found himself actually enjoying the time he'd been spending with her and, if he was honest with himself, he actually kind of liked watching her sleep as well.

He wondered what Mikasa would say if she woke up and found him staring at her like this. He didn't think it would happen, given her apparent love of sleep, but he couldn't help but wonder. Would she think he was strange? Would she feel uncomfortable? The fact of the matter was, he just wasn't sure. He had never been able to read her like the rest of the members of his squad, and he thought that was probably because of how strikingly similar they were. That was also why he'd wanted her in his squad. One of the reasons, anyway.

Levi poked at the fire to keep it going, watching as the freed embers floated up and up until their light was extinguished on the roof of the cave. He looked over at Mikasa again, apparently unable to take his eyes off of her for more than a few seconds, and watched as the firelight danced across her alabaster skin. _Beautiful_ was the first thought that came to mind, but he shook that thought free as quickly as it came. He couldn't afford to start thinking like that about his subordinates. Rather, he couldn't think like that about one of his subordinates _again_. The last time hadn't ended so well for either of them.

Still, he couldn't help but let himself wonder what this very moment might feel like if they were back inside the walls. If Mikasa was peacefully sleeping in his bed rather than on the cold, hard floor of a cave in the middle of the wilderness. He wondered if she would even want something like that with him. He was sure that she only thought of him as a commanding officer and nothing more, but then again he had been very sure of that fact with Petra too before Eld told him he was an idiot and that Petra loved him. It seemed that Levi just wasn't very good at reading the people that he was infatuated with, and infatuation was the perfect way to describe it.

He had slowly come to realize that he had feelings for her, regardless of what she might think of him. In fact, he was almost certain that she might hate him, judging by their interactions, at least before this mission. It seemed that the more time they spent together, the closer they became. When they'd left the walls the distance between them when they rode or walked was a lot greater than it was now. Walking through the forest just yesterday had resulted in brushing hands and turning away from each other to hide burning faces. He caught the sight of the lovely pink on Mikasa's cheeks, though, and he wondered if she'd seen the same on him.

It was a little jarring, seeing Mikasa timid. He'd never seen her in that light before, blushing and stuttering, but now it seemed to happen more and more often. Perhaps that meant that whatever feelings he had for her were reciprocated. He could hope, but he didn't really want to. The thought of being lovestruck and then rejected was enough to make him want to give up altogether. Still, he couldn't fight the draw of her sleeping face and, honestly, he wasn't sure he wanted to.

He decided then that, even if his affections were never returned, he wouldn't let them go. It was about time he started letting himself really feel something for others again, and that was what he planned to do. At least for this one, strikingly beautiful girl that he'd apparently fallen head over heels for.


	11. Snow Angels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short and sickeningly sweet. Enjoy!

Ymir honestly really hated the snow, like _really_ fucking hated it, but Krista was a different story entirely. It was for that reason that Ymir was outside, coat and gloves equipped, while Krista frolicked around in the snow like a child. Ymir hated how the snow fell on her hair and melted. She hated how the cold bit at her exposed nose and cheeks and made them rosy red that made her look like some kind of blushing school girl, and she hated that she would probably be cold for the rest of the day because she was outside right now, but she loved Krista, and she loved the way the snowflakes drifted down to land on that beautiful girl's face. She loved Krista so much that she could endure all of those horrible things to make her happy.

“Ymir! Make a snow angel with me!” Krista bellowed as she flopped down in the snow and laid perfectly still, gazing over at Ymir expectantly. Ymir _really_ did not want to make a fucking snow angel. She wanted to make a snow angel almost as much as she wanted to hurl herself off of the mountain that they'd just escaped from the night before. Maybe that training mission was exactly why Ymir hated the snow so much, but she just _could not_ disappoint the blonde haired, blue eyed girl lying in the snow in front of her, gazing at her like she might cry if Ymir declined the invitation.

So, with a sigh, Ymir walked over and, giving herself enough room to flail her arms about in typical snow angel making fashion, flopped down ungracefully beside Krista. The smile she got in return was so big, so bright and beautiful, that Ymir thought she might cry just at the sight of it.

“I'll never be warm again.” Ymir ground out as Krista happily moved her arms in legs away from each other and then together again, making the perfect snow angel. Somehow Ymir's sour attitude didn't fit the perfect scene they were in.

“Yes, you will! Why can't you just let yourself have some fun, Ymir? Making snow angels is fun! Playing in the snow is fun!” Krista stopped her motions only to realize that she couldn't get up without ruining the pristine snow angel she'd worked so hard to create.

“I am having fun,” Ymir said as she made her own angel, not quite as well as Krista, and pushed herself up, not caring about foot or handprints in the area she'd cleared. “Give me your hand and I'll help you up.”

Krista smiled and held out her hand, and Ymir hoisted her to her feet with little effort. She would have been lying if she'd said that she didn't pull just _a little_ too hard in order to make Krista fall and stumble against her.

They stepped back after only a few brief moments of standing in each other's arms to admire their work. Ymir's angel was rough around the edges, little care had been put into making it beautiful, there were scuff marks from her boots and handprints in the middle of the angel's body from where she had pushed herself to her feet. Krista's angel, though, it was perfect. The edges were smooth and pristine, the wings sweeping up and over the top of the head. Ymir thought that it was the perfect representation of the girl standing at her side. Beautiful. Pristine. Perfect. An absolute angel. She suddenly didn't feel cold anymore, after looking at what Krista had created.

“Come on, Ymir, let's go inside. I know you don't want to be out here.” Krista said as she grabbed Ymir's hand and pulled toward one of the log buildings where thick smoke was rolling out of the chimney. Ymir pulled back, though, not budging from her spot.

“No,” She said softly, still looking at the perfect snow angel in front of her. “Let's make more just like these.”

“Oh!” Krista's wide smile was back, her eyes were sparkling, and it was the only thing Ymir thought she would ever need for the rest of her life. “Okay!”

Ymir lost count of how many snow angels they made after that, and they didn't go back inside until neither of them could feel their toes. Ymir wouldn't have had it any other way.


	12. Lazy Days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ship and this prompt fought me all the way. It is very short. I don't really like it. But here it is. Haha

Waking up to snow was perhaps Armin's favorite thing. Waking up to the amount of snow they currently had ensured that he would be able to stay home all day with Annie, and that made the snow day even better. He'd bounded out of their bed as soon as he saw the small white flakes from the window in their bedroom, running to the kitchen to take a better look. The snow had always excited him, but he couldn't say the same for Annie.

Annie was not like Armin at all. She hated the snow. She hated that it kept them indoors and away from their important work. But mostly she just hated the cold. Armin saw it as an opportunity for cuddling, though, which was another thing he wasn't sure that Annie liked. He wasn't sure that Annie _really_ liked anything, except for himself, which was baffling to him. Their relationship had been rocky, to say the least, but Armin wouldn't have changed anything about it.

Armin went back to their bedroom with an excited smile on his face, but that wasn't at all the look he found on Annie's. She was curled up in their blankets, only her head poking out of the cocoon she seemed to have made for herself. Her eyes were cold and almost judgmental when Armin barreled into the room with a huge smile on his face.

“Annie! It snowed!” He said, his voice sing-song and inherently happy as he watched her quirk an eyebrow upward.

“Why is that so exciting for you?” She asked, pulling the blanket tighter around her body as if just the thought of snow made her colder.

“Because now we don't have to leave the house and we can stay here all day and cuddle!”

“...Why is that so exciting for you?” She deadpanned, but she couldn't hide the hint of a smile that Armin saw pulling at the corner of her mouth.

“You like lazy days, Annie! You can admit it! Everyone needs a break every now and then, even you!”

He watched her closely for a moment, trying to figure out what she was thinking, but her face did not betray her emotions. He'd almost gotten a smile from her, though, which meant that she had to find the idea of a snow day at least a little appealing.

Armin crawled back into the large bed, prying the blankets from Annie's grasp and slipping under them so that he could better envelop her in a warm embrace. She always acted like she didn't like cuddling, but the way she melted into him told him a whole different story.

He nuzzled into the crook of her neck, intertwining their limbs and settling into a comfortable position for the both of them, and he could feel as well as hear the contented sigh that Annie released. She could tell him differently all she wanted, but Annie Leonhart was a cuddler, and Armin wasn't about to turn her down.


	13. Making Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, it's a bit late in the day (night) to post this. Sorry for the wait! Here it is, hope you enjoy!

The argument had been long and heated and everything that a ridiculous argument was bound to be. At this point, Mikasa wasn't even sure what had started it, but she had been ready for it to end. Levi had been upset about something, she knew that much, but she didn't know exactly what it was he was upset about, and maybe that was why the argument had started.

He didn't like it when she pried, but it was hard not to. She hated to see him upset, to see him shutting down and not telling her what the problem was. Wasn't he supposed to trust her? Wasn't he supposed to tell her everything? Wasn't that what being in a relationship was about? She'd thought that was the case, but apparently not for her relationship with Levi. With Levi everything had _always_ been more complicated, it was just the way it worked with them.

She'd stormed away from him when he'd fallen silent, no longer willing to talk to her, no longer willing to yell and fight and keep secrets. And she was tired. Tired of crying. Tired of the inevitable screaming match it had turned into. Tired of feeling like she wasn't good enough for him. There had been several times that she'd thought of leaving, of ending it all without another word because he was just so god damn _difficult_ sometimes that she couldn't see a life with him being anything but arguments. Something had made her stay though. Something that wouldn't let her go no matter how much she struggled or tried to forget him.

The truth was that, no matter how much they argued and screamed, she still loved him more than anything else in the world, and that was what made her hold on. She still wanted to be there for him, even if he didn't want to tell her everything right away. She still wanted to make sure that he was okay after everything because that was the most important thing to her.

She took a deep breath to calm herself, trying to focus on anything but the horrible things they'd said to each other just a few hours ago, and left her room. They'd both had enough time to cool off, to put their heads back on straight. If Levi was ready to talk, she would listen, but otherwise, she wouldn't pry. The only thing she could do was be there for him and let him know that she always would be. Because if she'd learned anything from being with Levi it was that he would always talk to her eventually. He just had to do it in his own time.

When she got to his door she was suddenly nervous. She knew that she would have to apologize for being pushy, even though she thought she was perfectly within her rights to know what was bothering her boyfriend. He would want that apology, though, and she would give it to him if it meant that he would be happy. She knocked three times and waited patiently. He kept her waiting for longer than she would have liked, but he answered all the same.

He looked tired, ragged, and a little like he'd been crying.

“Can I come in?” She asked sheepishly, hoping that he wouldn't just reject her outright.

“Depends, are you going to start another screaming match?” He asked, his tone flat and dry.

“No...” She paused, looking at the floor. “I actually wanted to come to apologize.”

“Come in.” He said, moving aside to let her through the door. She walked in slowly, remembering the argument they'd had in this very room only a few hours before. She wasn't exactly sure where to start, but she knew it had to be done regardless.

“I'm sorry...for prying, and for pressuring you to talk about things you don't want to.” She said. She was all too aware of the way his eyes were watching her, his expression stern and cold. It had been a long time since he'd looked at her like that. Like he didn't care about her. Like they didn't have anything between them.

“It was kind of shitty, you know. What you said to me.” He said arms crossed over his chest.

“I know.”

“I said some shitty things too.” He looked away then as if he felt bad. The spark of some kind of emotion that she couldn't process right now in his eyes. “You're not the only one that needs to apologize.”

“I shouldn't have pried...” She started, but he cut her off.

“You're right, but I shouldn't have taken out what I'm feeling on you just because you're concerned. Just...just don't take anything I said personally, okay? I didn't mean it. I'm just...frustrated. All your questions weren't helping.”

“I'm just worried about you. Don't you trust me with whatever is going on?” She asked, knowing that it was likely to start another argument. She just had to know what was bothering him so much.

“I know.” He raked a hand through his hair, his frustration showing in his slate gray eyes as he looked back to her. “I just can't talk about it right now, okay? I'll be just fine, just don't push. I'll talk about it when I'm ready.”

“I'm sorry.” She said, moving closer. His posture finally relaxed as she reached out to him, taking his hands in hers, trying to calm him because the war behind his eyes was scaring her.

“Me too.” He answered, squeezing her hands slightly. “I'll tell you soon, but right now can you just accept that I can't talk about it?”

“As long as you'll be okay.”

“As long as you don't threaten to leave me again, I think I'll be okay.” He said, turning away when he said it because that was the first time he'd admitted that he didn't want to lose her. She smiled, suddenly feeling like the world was at peace again.

“Fine.” She answered, leaning over and kissing him softly. He leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and breathing deeply, and Mikasa knew that everything would be fine. At the end of the day, they loved each other, and that was enough to get them through whatever this was. He would tell her when he was ready, and she could handle that. They may fight like cats and dogs, but they always made up, _always_ , and that was enough.


	14. Fight Like You Mean It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm posting this chapter at a decent time today! Haha

Eren had fought Annie plenty of times before, but it wasn't quite like this. Something was different today, in the way she walked, in the way she spoke to him, in the way she was fighting. Something was definitely _off_. She seemed more hesitant to hit him, so she only threw him. Even then, it was like touching him was something she didn't want to do either. They'd been training together for weeks, and now it seemed like she didn't want to do it anymore. It was baffling.

He got up off the ground after the third time she'd thrown him and dusted himself off. Usually, she would offer a hand to pull him to his feet, but today she just stood by and watched him struggle on his own. He watched her closely, trying to figure out what was going on behind those cold blue eyes but, as usual, he couldn't pinpoint any emotions. Finally, at the end of his rope, he asked.

“Annie, what's wrong?”

“What's wrong?” She mimicked as if she couldn't understand the question. “Nothing's wrong.”

“You're acting weird.” Eren huffed. He knew he probably sounded a little bit like a child, but he wanted to get this information from her.

“I'm not.” She deadpanned.

“You'll barely even touch me, let alone hit me. What's wrong with you today?”

Annie blinked and her expression looked shocked for only a moment before she resumed her usual unfeeling mask.

“I don't want to hurt you.” She answered, but Eren knew it was a lie. There was something she wasn't telling him. She'd never cared about hurting him before.

“Well, that's bullshit,” Eren said, watching her with rapt attention. “You never cared about hurting me before.”

“I care now.” She almost whispered it, but he could hear the tone in her voice. She sounded...sad?

“Why? We're just training. It's not like you've ever hurt me _that_ bad. How am I ever supposed to get better if you don't fight me for real?” Eren's anger was getting the better of him now. It's not like he _wanted_ to get angry with Annie, but her attitude toward him lately really bothered him. He hated that she was treating him like some fragile thing that couldn't be touched.

“I told you Eren, I don't want to hurt you.” She ground out her sentence as if it was painful for her to say it.

“You're just scared that I'll get better at fighting than you and beat you. That's it, isn't it? You're afraid that I'll learn all your tricks and you won't be able to win anymore.” Eren smirked, trying to get under her skin. He wasn't exactly sure if one could even _get_ under Annie's skin, but he would try regardless.

Instead of getting irritated, though, she laughed. Openly and without restraint. Eren thought it was the first time he'd probably ever heard Annie laugh. It was also probably the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. Wait. Beautiful? Why was it beautiful? Why would he think that about _Annie_ , of all people?

“W-what's so funny?” He stammered, feeling a bit uncomfortable at just how funny Annie thought his prior statement to be.

“Eren, I've been training with you for weeks now and you haven't picked up a single thing from our sessions. I'm always able to defeat you the same way, every time, without fail. And you think I'm afraid of you?” She dissolved into laughter again, wiping a tear away from her eye before she spoke again. “I'm not afraid that you'll learn something from me, you've proved that's not happening already. I really am afraid that I'll hurt you because...”

“Because?” Eren asked. He waited. She'd stopped talking in the middle of her sentence, seemingly realizing that she was about to say too much. He wanted to know the real reason, though, and he would push until she revealed it.

“Because I like you, Eren.” She said quietly, gaze shifting to the ground as she spoke. It wasn't surprising. Why would she train with him if she didn't like him?

“Well, yeah, I mean, I like you too. You're cool Annie, and you help me a lot.” Eren said, dumbfounded by the look she was giving him now. It was something akin to disbelief.

“No, you idiot!” She said, rolling her eyes and taking a few steps forward. She grabbed him by his collar and he stumbled a bit at the force of her motions. His eyes went wide as she pulled him closer. “I _really_ like you!”

“What?” He started, but he didn't have time to say anything else because she was _kissing_ him. Hard and fast and without thinking. She released him quickly, a pretty red blush dusting her cheeks, and then she ran.

“ _What_?” He asked again as he watched her retreat. He wasn't sure what to think or do or say. The only thing that could leave his mouth seemed to be that one word. Somehow, though, he was fine with what had happened. He liked Annie too. He wanted Annie to kiss him again. Shit. He wanted Annie to kiss him again.

She had disappeared from sight long before Eren could think of anything coherent to say, but he could make up for it later. Just the thought that Annie liked him in that way sent a jolt of happy energy through his body that he carried with him for the rest of the day. Annie liked him. He liked Annie. He would make sure next time that she knew exactly how much she meant to him. For now, though, just the thought of this new and exciting thing was enough to carry him through the rest of his training without her.


	15. Teach Me Something

“Are you sure you're doing it right?” Levi asked as he watched Mikasa with rapt attention. It wasn't every day that she agreed to teach anyone anything, but if she had to watch him try and cook for himself with disastrous results one more time she thought she might lose her mind.

“You almost burnt your kitchen down two days ago and you're asking me if I'm sure I'm doing it right?” She rolled her eyes as she heated the skillet on the stove. “You don't get to question my cooking skills. Ever.”

“Isn't it dangerous to get the pan that hot before you put anything in it?”

“That's kind of how you sear things, Levi.”

“Seems like a fire hazard.”

“Seems like a health hazard if you keep criticizing my cooking skills.” Mikasa shot him a glare that seemed to shut him up as she added butter and oil to the still heating skillet. Once the skillet was hot enough, she grabbed the sizable piece of salmon that she was trying to teach him to cook. It had already been seasoned and prepped beforehand, and that alone had been a task with Levi hovering over her shoulder the whole time.

“So,” She started, taking a deep breath and readying herself for the onslaught of questions she knew she would be bombarded with. “You put the fish in the skillet skin side down first. Always.”

“Why?” He asked, watching as Mikasa expertly lowered the fish into the pan.

“It gets crispier that way.”

“Is that the only reason?”

She took a deep breath, trying to be patient.

“It's the only reason I know of.” She answered as she pressed her spatula down on the top of the fish.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Are we here to play twenty questions or teach you how to cook?”

“Isn't the best way to learn by asking questions?” He asked, a smirk spreading across his face. Now she was sure he was just doing it to piss her off.

“I'm not sure about the best way to learn but it's the best way to get punched in the throat.”

He chuckled at that, clearly pleased with how annoyed she was getting.

“You still didn't tell me why you're pressing down on it.”

“It's to keep the skin from curling up on the edges while it cooks.” She said, lifting the corner of the fish gently to check the skin underneath. When she looked it was golden brown and perfectly crisp, so she artfully slid the spatula underneath and flipped the fish with practiced ease. She chanced a glance at Levi to see that he was still watching intently.

“Now what?” He asked, looking at the rest of the ingredients on the counter. There was garlic and rosemary on the cutting board, she had chopped it ahead of time because she knew she would be too busy answering questions to do it efficiently while cooking.

“Now we smash the garlic cloves and add them to the pan with the rosemary.” She answered, placing her spatula on the counter and smashing the cloves of garlic with the flat of her knife. She threw the garlic and rosemary into the pan before she dug through a drawer to get a spoon and started spooning the butter over the fish as it sizzled away.

“What are you doing now?” Levi asked, leaning against the counter idly.

“I'm basting it with the liquid it cooked in. It gives the fish more flavor.” She looked over at Levi then, he looked kind of bored standing there, but she hoped he was at least learning something. As much as she loved spending time with him, she really didn't want to have to cook every meal for him for the rest of his life, because it was either that or watch his house burn down, and she didn't really like the possibility of either of those options.

They didn't really speak for the rest of the time the fish was cooking. Mikasa just kept dutifully basting while Levi stood at her side, leaning against the counter, probably just silently waiting for his dinner. It didn't take long before the fish was completely cooked and on a plate. She handed it to him after squeezing a bit of lemon over the top and he just looked up at her.

“Are you going to try it or not?” She asked, raising an eyebrow and handing him a fork. He nodded before he took the fork from her and dug in, cutting through the crisp skin on the bottom and taking his first bite.

The salmon was perfectly cooked, golden brown on both sides and just a hint of pink still in the middle. She could tell it was tender and flaky as his fork cut through it, and she waited eagerly for his appraisal.

“Not bad.” He said, placing the fork back down on the counter with his plate.

“Not bad?” She asked suddenly feeling under appreciated. He nodded and she felt like, if she didn't have so much self-control, she probably would have hit him.

“Did you at least learn something?” She asked with a scowl, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I think so.” He answered.

“Good, then you can cook your own damn meals from now on.” She turned on her heel and started toward the door then. It was an empty threat, she would cook for him anytime he asked, but the look on his face when she said those words would be enough to keep her feeling like she was needed for a long time to come.


	16. I Need You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, it's late, I know. I've had a bit of a busy day today so here it is, technically on the 17th. Haha

Eren rarely ever showed any emotion outwardly except for anger. Anger was easy to process. Anger was easy to understand. But grief and sadness, those were much harder. There were very few times when he let himself display those two emotions in particular, and definitely _never_ in front of anyone. So, that's why he was huddled up in the corner of his room tonight, bawling his eyes out because he just _couldn't_ handle it anymore. This horrible feeling inside him that threatened to eat him alive if he didn't do something.

The dreams were the worst part of it. He thought that, after a while, the dreams of seeing his mother eaten alive on that horrible day would go away, but they only got more vivid. His anger grew and so did his sadness. His resentment. His will to try harder. Sometimes, though, all he could do was curl in on himself and cry, because that's all that was _left_ to do in some situations.

He still needed her. He still wanted her guidance and her love. He even sometimes missed the way that she would scold him because at least when she'd been scolding him she'd been _alive_. It wasn't fair. None of it was fair at all! He felt a sharp sob rip through his body just as he heard a soft knock on his door and he tried his best to look like he hadn't just been a pathetic mess on the floor in the corner of his room as Mikasa opened the door and walked in. He'd just been able to dry his eyes enough so that she might not be able to tell that he'd been sobbing just moments earlier, but she knew. She _always_ knew.

“Eren.” It was a single word. A single name, but it still somehow managed to reduce him to tears again. Maybe it was her voice or the way she looked at him like she knew something. How did she always _know_?

She walked closer, only a single step as she watched him sob, her expression pained as she wondered how to handle the situation. Mikasa had always been there for him, regardless of the situation, and regardless of whether he wanted her there or not. This time he wanted her there. He needed her to be there for him because he felt like he couldn't breathe. He felt like his whole world was crashing down around him.

As if she could read his mind, Mikasa closed the distance between them and crouched down in front of him, reaching out to hold him when he all but threw himself into her arms. He hated feeling weak, especially in front of her, but the amount of emotional pain he was in right now was enough to make him cast his ego aside. He also knew that, deep down, Mikasa missed Carla Jaeger just as much as he did.

“I'm here, Eren,” Mikasa said softly as she held him against her tightly. He took a ragged breath, trying to say something, to keep from feeling so pathetic, but in the end, all he could do was hold onto her tighter.

“I miss her.” He finally choked out, the sound of his voice in its tired and emotional state making him feel sick to his stomach. “I miss her so much.”

“I know.” She replied, reaching a hand up to stroke his hair in a soothing fashion. It managed to calm him a bit, enabling him to even out his breathing into some semblance of a normal rhythm. “We'll make sure they pay.”

“Yeah.” It was the only thing he could say at this point. He knew that, somewhere inside, Mikasa probably wanted revenge just as badly as he did. She was always so good at controlling her emotions, though, she never showed the need for revenge that he knew burned inside her. But in moments like this, when it was just the two of them, he could tell that she needed closure just as much as he did.

“Will you be okay?” She asked, moving away from him slightly so that she could look at his face. It was embarrassing, how he knew he probably looked, red-faced and blotchy and teary-eyed from crying for hours, but he knew that she wouldn't judge him for it. Mikasa never judged him. The only thing she ever showed him was love and affection.

“I think so.” He answered, wiping his eyes a final time before taking a deep, cleansing breath and steadying himself. She smiled, just slightly, but it was enough to let him know that she was happy to hear his response. She stood up then, holding out her hand to help him up and he took it without argument.

There had been so many times that Eren had gotten angry because Mikasa was always hovering over him, but he thought he was finally starting to realize why exactly she did things like that. She wasn't trying to be an overbearing sister or a doting mother toward him. She just wanted to make sure that he was okay. He'd told her before that he didn't need her to do these things for him, that he would be just fine on his own, but now, standing in his room with her like this, he knew that the truth was just the opposite. He needed her now, and he probably always would.


	17. Little Spoon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look! I published it before midnight! This is a real achievement for me. Also, I thought this turned out really cute. =)

Annie liked to cuddle. This was something that Bertholt knew from experience. However, recently cuddling had been getting more difficult for them. The main reason being that Annie absolutely _refused_ to continue to be the 'little spoon'.

It wasn't like Bertholt was opposed to that idea. There were plenty of other ways they could cuddle that didn't involve spooning, but Annie's favorite way to cuddle also happened to be that very position. And so, he found himself in a bit of a pickle.

When Annie suggested that _he_ should be the 'little spoon' this time around he wasn't quite convinced that it would even work. Just the height difference between the two of them alone was enough to convince Bertholt that the whole thing would end embarrassingly for the two of them, not to mention the fact that he actually really enjoyed the feeling of cradling Annie in his arms. Apparently, she'd had enough of that, though, and decided that she wanted to hold _him_ this time.

“Annie, can't we just do it a different way? You could just lay on my chest or something, wouldn't that be easier?” Bertholt asked in a timid voice. He knew that Annie would never dream of hurting him, but she still kind of scared him in a weird way. Whether it was because he was sure that, despite their differences in size, she could snap him like a twig or the fact that he was kind of terrified of her leaving him, he wasn't quite sure.

“I want to try it this way, Bertl. Are you too afraid that it'll hurt your masculinity or something?” She snorted when she asked the question, probably because she knew Bertholt didn't have any kind of weird masculinity problem that would keep him from letting her spoon him. No, he didn't want to do it because he just enjoyed holding her. He couldn't tell _her_ that, though. He knew the way his cheeks would burn if he did. He knew the way she would look at him and the way he would squirm under her gaze because he was just _so embarrassed_ about telling her something so utterly mushy and heartfelt.

“It's not that.” He answered quietly, sitting down on the side of the bed and averting his gaze. He couldn't look at her because if he looked at her she would get her way. That's what always happened.

“Then what is it?” She asked, tilting her head to the side and moving a little closer. Not quite close enough to touch, but not so far away that he felt the distance.

“I just...like doing it the other way.”

“Why?”

“Because I like it when you're close to me.” There had to be a way to say this without just...saying it.

“I'll still be close to you, it'll just be a little different.” She answered, trying her hardest to keep the sharp edge out of her voice. Bertholt knew that Annie was easily annoyed, but he also knew that her patience with him could reach heights that she couldn't reach with anyone else in the world.

“Too different.” He said, finally looking up to meet her gaze.

“What's so different about it? We'll still be together, we'll still be close.”

“Yeah but I won't...” He paused, taking a deep breath before he finally just let all the words pour out. “I won't be able to hold you, and that's my favorite part of cuddling.”

He could already feel his cheeks burning. He knew his face was probably a particularly bright shade of red, but he'd finally told her what was really bothering him about the situation. Hopefully, she wouldn't laugh at him.

“What if I wanted to hold you?” She asked, her tone was even, but so quiet that Bertholt could hardly hear her. She took another step forward and reached out to him, and Bertholt gladly took her hands in his and pulled her closer still. He was a little surprised at the admission, but he supposed it made sense, considering how much she'd been pushing for this switch of spooning positions.

“You want to hold me?” He asked, trying hard to keep the surprise out of his voice and failing miserably.

“Is that so bad?” She asked, almost sounding offended. He knew she really wasn't, but it still had the same effect on him either way.

“N-no! It isn't bad! I guess I just didn't expect it?” It sounded like a question when it left his lips but it was a statement. He hadn't expected it, but he wasn't opposed.

“Then will you at least try before you shoot it down?” She asked, pushing him back so that he was laying flat on the bed and moving over to lay beside him.

“Sure, if that's what you want.” He answered only a bit awkwardly.

She smiled and his heart melted before he rolled over onto his side and felt her settle in behind him. It was almost comical the way they fit together this way. Her arm snaked around his waist and her fingers laced themselves with his as she molded her body against his back. She was right. It felt nice to be held like this, if also just a bit awkward. She buried her face between his shoulder blades, muffling her voice when she spoke.

“See, it's not so bad, right?” She asked, burrowing into his back as she spoke, trying to find the perfect, comfortable position.

“Not bad at all. I like it.” He answered with a contented sigh. He decided then that it didn't matter which way he and Annie decided to cuddle, it would always be the best thing in the world, whether he was the big spoon or not.


	18. Chicken Soup, Made with Love

Sasha had been sick for _three days_. Three whole days of Sasha laying in bed looking miserable and Connie not being able to spend every waking moment with her. It was really frustrating for him because he really liked spending every waking moment with her. She'd also told him not to worry about her, that it was just a cold, but it was kind of impossible to not worry about her when she looked like she was so miserable.

So, Connie had the bright idea that he would try to make her soup as a get well present. Connie had never made soup before in his life, but how hard could it be? It was basically just vegetables and water and chicken in a pot, right? Easy. He watched Sasha do it all the time. But Sasha was so much better at _everything_ than he was and he had already tried to make this damn soup three times and it tasted horrible _every. Single. Time_. He didn't understand what he was doing wrong. He did it the same way that Sasha did, at least he thought so anyway, but every time it came out bland and tasteless and the vegetables were too soft and the chicken was rubbery. If he kept going like this he wouldn't even have enough ingredients to make a decent batch.

Connie wasn't ashamed to admit that he needed help. It was finding that help that was going to be the hard part. He took a deep breath and threw out his third failed pot of chicken soup before he left his home in search of someone that could actually cook. The problem was that he didn't know anyone that could cook besides Sasha, and she was in no condition to help. Plus, this was supposed to be a surprise for her!

The first person he ran into was Mikasa, but she hadn't seemed interested in helping him. It wasn't that she was rude about it, he just thought she might not know how to make chicken soup. If she did, she hadn't said anything about it, but Mikasa never really said much anyway. The next person he saw was Eren, and while he was sure Eren would be willing to help, he thought that the two of them in his kitchen might result in his house burning down. He was beginning to lose hope before he ran into Jean, and Jean was someone Connie knew could cook. The hard part about it would be convincing him to help.

“Jean! I need your help!” Connie said frantically. Jean looked like he'd just seen a ghost as Connie ran up to him, clutching Jean's arms as he spoke.

“What? What's wrong?” Jean looked a bit panicked, and Connie could understand why. He hadn't explained anything, he'd just frantically run up to his classmate and demanded help.

“Sasha is sick!” He said, again, not explaining enough.

“What? What's wrong with her? Is she okay? Do I need to get a doctor or something?”

“We need to make her soup, Jean!” Connie could see the panic drain out of Jean's eyes almost as quickly as it had appeared there.

“You're this panicked about...soup?” Jean asked, an incredulous tone to his voice.

“She needs it or she won't get better Jean, and I don't fucking know how to make soup! I've tried three times already and it's disgusting every time. I know you can cook, Jean, you have to help me!”

Connie could tell just by the look in Jean's eyes that his resolve was wearing down. Jean didn't want to help, but Connie knew he looked so pitiful that the other man didn't have a choice, and he broke out into a ridiculous grin when Jean begrudgingly agreed.

They walked together to Connie's house, picking up a few extra ingredients, because he honestly had burnt through the majority of what he had bought the first time, and got to work immediately.

“You'd better give me credit for this when you go to suck up to Sasha,” Jean said as he set to work chopping celery and carrots to throw into the pot.

“Yeah yeah, I will, I promise!” Connie answered. He had no intention of actually keeping his word on that particular fact, but he wasn't about to let Jean know that.

 

oOo

 

It had only taken a few hours, Jean said it was important for the soup to simmer for a while to release all the flavors of the fresh herbs they put in, but Connie was finally on his way to Sasha's house carrying a large pot of chicken soup. He couldn't wait to see the elated look on her face when he walked into her room with a steaming bowl of something that he'd made just for her, in order to make her feel better. This would surely make her happy, and hopefully, it would make her feel better, too.

When he walked in he announced himself, and he heard Sasha say something from her room but he couldn't quite make it out. It didn't matter, he didn't need to know right now, at the moment he was only focused on getting this soup to her.

He set the pot down on the stove and dug around in the cupboard for a bowl. When he found it he ladled some of the soup into the bowl and covered the rest before he walked toward Sasha's bedroom. When he entered he looked at her immediately, and she still looked miserable but she also looked a little bit happy to see him. Her eyes flicked down to the bowl almost instantly.

“What's that?” She asked, her voice rough and muffled from the congestion in her nose.

“Chicken soup, made with love.” He answered with a smile as he handed the bowl over to her and watched as she grasped it. She was staring at it like it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen, but that wasn't unlike how she normally looked at food.

“You made this?” She asked, looking up at him with a crooked smile. Her eyes were rimmed red and she was sniffling a little, but she still looked genuinely happy.

“Yeah, and all by myself too!”

Jean would forgive him for this one little white lie. He handed her a spoon and watched expectantly as she took it, dipping it into the warm broth and blowing on it a bit before she put it in her mouth. The smile that graced her features almost knocked Connie to the floor.

“It's good!” She said, dipping her spoon in again for another bite.

“You really like it? I worked really hard!”

She nodded and kept eating as if her life depended on it.

“I didn't like seeing you so sick, so I thought that I could make you something that might make you feel better.” He smiled as he watched her, waiting for her to finish the bowl before she answered. Her smile was still plastered on her face as she leaned back into the pillows on her bed.

“Thank you, Connie! I'm already feeling better!” She said, her voice already sounding a little less scratchy. Connie was about to accept the compliment before she spoke again. “And tell Jean I said thanks too. I know his mother's chicken soup recipe when I taste it.”

She laughed and licked her lips and Connie couldn't help but laugh with her. So he hadn't made the soup entirely himself, and Sasha knew it, but he had the feeling that his message still got across to her all the same. It was still for her, and it was still made with love, and that was all he really wanted her to know.


	19. Let Me Spoil You

Ymir loved Krista. That was pretty obvious from anyone's point of view. Maybe anyone's _but_ Krista's, frustratingly enough. So, Ymir had decided that she was going to spoil Krista and shower her with gifts until the annoyingly oblivious little angel of a girl figured this shit out.

The start of it all was easy. There had been a shop close by that was selling chocolate, and that was something that Ymir knew Krista loved, so she bought a chocolate bar and gave it to Krista at dinner.

“Ymir, that's so thoughtful! Where did you even find this? It's hard to find chocolate this far away from the interior!” Krista had shouted as she clutched the chocolate to her chest.

“Nowhere special, just some shop down the street. I knew you liked that shit, so I got some for you.” Ymir answered with a smirk and Krista smiled so widely that Ymir thought she might melt into a puddle and never be able to recover. That smile did things to Ymir that she wasn't ever going to admit to anyone else.

The second day was a little more difficult. Ymir decided that Krista might enjoy some flowers, but there were so many different kinds of flowers that she didn't even know where to start. Would she like lilies? Daffodils? Roses? Sunflowers? What kind of flower reminded Ymir of Krista? Hell if she knew. Krista was more perfect than any flower Ymir had ever seen, but she decided on a mixture of roses and lilies and gave them to Krista privately in the hallway while no one was around.

“Ymir! These are so beautiful! You didn't have to get me flowers!” Krista said with that same smile that drove Ymir absolutely mad as she inhaled the sweet scent of the bouquet. Her eyes sparkled like diamonds and Ymir thought that her heart might stop beating.

“I wanted to get them for you. They reminded me of you.” She answered, and she might have blushed a little bit, but she was never going to admit that to anyone else.

The third day was when she started to run out of ideas. She couldn't repeat what she'd already done, Krista might get tired of the gifts if she started to do that, so she thought _really fucking hard_ about her next move. She decided that Krista deserved something handmade, something that Ymir could pour her heart into, so she decided to carve a small rose out of a piece of wood. Yeah, it was kinda the same as what she'd done yesterday, but this was different, damn it. It was a rose, but roses were something that Ymir had started associating with Krista, for some reason, and Krista really seemed to like them. It took her most of the day to carve the stupid thing, but by dinner time it looked pretty good. She sat the wooden rose beside Krista's tray on the dinner table as she sat down beside her.

“Ymir! Did you make this?” Krista asked as she held the rose delicately between her slender fingers.

“Yeah.” Ymir answered, because she really didn't have anything else to say but 'yeah' in the moment, and it seemed to be all the Krista needed.

“You're so talented Ymir! Can you teach me sometime?” Krista tucked the wooden rose behind her ear and smiled and _god damn it_ Ymir couldn't help but smile back. Connie and Sasha were watching them, smiling like idiots, but even though those two had seen Ymir's joy, she would _still_ never admit that she'd been this giddy to anyone else.

The fourth day made Ymir want to scream. No matter how hard she thought, she could not come up with another gift idea for Krista. She'd exhausted her limited repertoire, and Krista was no doubt going to be disappointed. Or maybe she wouldn't be. Krista wasn't that kind of person, Ymir knew that, but that didn't stop her from wanting to give something to Krista today anyway. She was running out of time, though, to think of the perfect present for day four.

When she was walking down the hall toward the cafeteria and she still hadn't come up with anything to give Krista, she decided that she should probably just give up on the whole thing. Krista still didn't seem like she was getting what Ymir was trying to tell her, anyway. So, when she saw Krista in the hallway she just walked up to stand beside her.

“Hi, Ymir! Do you want to come eat dinner with me?” She asked in her soft, sweet voice as she looked up at Ymir with her crystal blue eyes and smiled that stupidly beautiful smile. Ymir suddenly decided what she wanted to give Krista that day. She didn't say anything back to Krista. She just bent down, pulled Krista close to her, and kissed her hard on the lips. She expected Krista to pull away or struggle or maybe even slap her when she was done, but Krista didn't do any of those things. Krista just smiled up at her, holding onto her arms as Ymir slowly pulled away just enough so that they could speak.

“Is this what you were working up to all this time? Did you just want to kiss me?” Krista asked, blinking those beautiful eyes and smiling and making Ymir want to run away and hide because this girl was too perfect to be okay with all this.

“I wanted to spoil you.” She answered, taking a deep breath because she wasn't used to being this open about her feelings. “I wanted to make you see that I can make you happy.”

“You idiot.” Krista laughed and reached up to cup Ymir's cheek. “I already knew that.”

Ymir smiled and, for once, didn't care how many people saw them, because she wanted the world to know that this girl was hers to spoil.


	20. Candles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late chapter guys! Yesterday and today were very busy days for me, but the good news is that you'll be getting two chapters tonight! I'll try not to fall behind again, and I hope this fic was worth the wait!

Mikasa lit candles around the room because she wanted tonight to be special. When Levi arrived home tonight, she would make sure he knew he was appreciated. She thought that the way she planned on doing that was what he would like the most. He wouldn't care about the candles or the soft music or the wine, but he would care about the black lingerie that she had on underneath her fancy red dress, and he would care that she wanted him to take it off of her. He would care about those two things _very_ much. At least she hoped he would. It was, honestly, hard to tell what Levi liked half the time. She tried not to think about it, though. After all, he'd enjoyed nights like this one on plenty of other occasions.

So, she left their bedroom after making sure that none of the burning candles would ignite their modest house and made her way to the kitchen to pour the wine. Levi would be home from his boring office job in about thirty minutes, and that gave her plenty of time to set out the small cheese platter she'd bought from the grocery store and give herself one more look in the mirror.

The dress she'd picked out for this occasion was beautiful, a strapless, red dress with a sweetheart neckline and a skirt that hit just above the knee. Levi had always said he liked red on her. Red clothing, red lipstick, red marks on her skin from paddles or whips or hands. She shivered at the thought of the last option and tried to busy her mind with something else. It was really difficult to do that, though, when he was all she'd been thinking about all day.

She poured the wine, which was also red, coincidentally, and sipped on it to try and calm her excited nervousness. It didn't work, but it was worth the effort.

Fifteen minutes now. Fifteen minutes left until he walked through the door in his tailored suit, wearing that stupid, slender black tie that he knew she loved. She'd make sure he made good use of the tie later. It was really better suited being used to bind hands than hanging around his neck, anyway.

Mikasa took a deep breath as she nibbled on a bit of cheese, trying to occupy her mind with something other than Levi's hands all over her. It was hard to do, though, when it was all she really wanted. She wondered if he would be more surprised if she just threw herself at him as soon as he walked in the door. If he would prefer that to the long, drawn-out evening she had planned. She wondered to herself if she could even _survive_ the long, drawn-out evening she had planned.

She'd planned to tease him, to work him up until he couldn't stand it anymore until he absolutely _had_ to have her, but now she was wondering if she had the willpower for that. Just the mental image of him walking through the door, looking just as handsome and perfect as he always did, made her think that she wouldn't be able to control herself. Especially if she indulged in any more wine. She took another sip and turned on the ceiling fan. It suddenly felt a few degrees warmer in the kitchen than it had a moment ago.

Five more minutes. Only five more minutes until he would be here and she would have to struggle to maintain her wits. She was already struggling a bit if she was being honest with herself. There was literally no other man in the world that could get her this worked up without even being in her presence. She was lucky. So, _so_ lucky to be able to say that he was hers. All the other women in the world didn't know what they were missing.

Finally, _finally_ , the door opened and she saw him. He looked tired like he'd had a hell of a day, but when he looked down the long hallway from the front door to the kitchen where Mikasa was standing behind the counter he perked up. He hadn't expected her to be dressed so nicely just standing in their kitchen, it wasn't a normal occurrence, and he already knew that something was up, judging by the look he was giving her as he toed off his shoes and left his briefcase by the door. He walked down the hallway maintaining eye contact the whole way and Mikasa was honestly tempted to just start stripping right then and there. But no, she couldn't do that, he was interested, and she liked the chase. She would let him have control all in due time, but for now she wanted to tease him. She picked up the glass of wine she'd poured for him and handed it over, letting her fingers barely graze his as she pulled her hand away.

“What's all this about?” He asked, looking her up and down and then glancing at the unimpressive cheese platter that was sitting on the counter.

“I just wanted to have a nice evening with you, is that so strange?” She asked as she sipped her wine, leaning against the counter in a way she hoped was seductive.

“Unexpected, not strange. Looks like the grocery store down the street has stepped up their cheese platter game.”

Mikasa rolled her eyes.

“I didn't have much time to put anything else together. I spent too much time in one of the other stores downtown picking out something else that I thought you might like better.” She smirked a little at the end of her statement and she could tell his interested was piqued.

“Oh?” He picked up a piece of cheese and popped it into his mouth. “What store was that?”

“Wouldn't you like to know?”

“That is why I asked, yes.” Levi deadpanned, sipping his wine and never taking his eyes off of her.

“Man, you're really good at this romance shit, aren't you?” She asked, rolling her eyes.

“Fine, I'll play along.” Now it was his turn to smirk, and it made Mikasa blush so deeply that she feared her cheeks were the same color as her dress. She tried to brush that off as she went on with her plan, though.

“So, how was work?” She asked, thinking that this had all sounded a lot better in her head when she was planning it out.

“It was work.” He answered, taking another drink. “Are you trying to make small talk with me? I thought we'd moved past that.”

“You said you were going to play along, you asshole.”

“Didn't think playing along involved small talk.”

“Levi, you are impossible!” Mikasa put her wine glass down on the counter and angrily pouring more wine into it. She should have known that he would be difficult about the whole thing, but that was one of the many reasons she loved him. He never made anything boring, that's for sure.

“Sorry, sorry, I'll be good. What else do you have planned for us this evening?” He tipped up his glass again and drained it before setting it on the counter with hers. She suddenly remembered the burning candles upstairs and felt the insistent need to check on them. Not really because she thought anything was wrong with them, but she decided that taking this evening slowly was not in her best interest.

She poured more wine into his glass before she took his hand and started leading him toward the staircase that would take them to the bedroom. She walked slowly, deliberately, letting her black heels click against the hardwood floors of their home purposefully as she dragged him behind her. He didn't say anything, he only followed, and she was sure he was having a fun time walking up the stairs behind her just because of the extra little swing she added to her hips with every step.

When they got to the bedroom door it was closed, which he immediately realized was strange. Doors in their home were never closed unless the room was occupied, and if his interest hadn't been piqued before, it definitely was now.

Mikasa stopped in front of the door and turned to face him, her wine glass still in her hand. She smiled before releasing him and laid her free hand on the doorknob, opening the door to reveal the room she'd set up before. Candles decorated every surface that was a reasonable distance away from anything flammable. The nightstands, the dresser, the top of the wardrobe, and it set just the mood she was hoping for. Romantic, dimly lit, like something you would see in a movie. She wanted to have the same kind of romantic experience that she saw in all those stupid movies.

She didn't touch him again, she just walked through the door and into the room. He didn't need to be led any longer, though, because he was on her heels immediately. He put his glass down on the dresser and she did the same as he took in their surroundings.

“Interesting.” He said as he looked around at all the burning candles. “This is a fire hazard, though.”

“How did I know you would say that?” She asked rolling her eyes and fighting back a smile.

“You know me too well, I guess. Just like you knew that I liked the color red on you. I'm sure you wore it intentionally. On your dress and your lips.”

He moved closer to her, striding across the room with purpose until he could reach her, and ghosted his thumb across her parted lips.

“Maybe I did.” She teased.

“It's obvious you have some kind of plan for tonight. What did you envision happening after we got to the bedroom?” His hand fell from her lips to her waist as he spoke, and soon he was dragging her against him. Still, after the years they'd spent together, he had the power to make her completely melt with his touch. She hated it and loved it all at once.

“Well, I thought that I could take off that stupid tie that you know I like so much and you could tie me up with it.” She didn't waste much time getting to the point, and she pulled on the tie as she spoke, working the knot out of it so she could slip it from around his neck. This was something they'd done several times before, and she was used to it by now. She liked feeling like he was in control of the situation almost as much as she knew he liked _being_ in control.

“So that's the kind of mood you're in tonight, then?” He asked, the corners of his mouth turning up into a smirk. “And the candles? Are those a part of this too?”

“If you want them to be. You know that I can take a little bit of heat.” She removed one of his hands from her waist and placed the tie in it before she held out her wrists for him to bind, and he wasted no time in doing just that.

After he'd undressed her and laid her down on the bed, she knew she was in for a very interesting night. He grabbed one of the candles from the nightstand and held it above her stomach as he sat beside her on the bed, blew out the flame, and let the wax drip onto her skin. The candles had been a very good idea.


	21. Cooking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two stories in one night, I'm on a roll!

Sasha had promised Connie that she would teach him how to cook. It was the least she could do after all the trouble he went to when she was sick. Of course, then he'd had help from Jean, but it was still a lot of effort on Connie's part, and Sasha wanted to pay him back for what he'd done for her.

So, she bought a few ingredients to make a simple, modest dinner for the two of them. She'd opted for stir-fry. It would be fast and easy to teach, and she was sure Connie would like it. Besides that, it was one of Sasha's favorite meals. She hadn't been able to snag any meat, but that was okay with her, veggie stir fry was just as good.

When she knocked on the door Connie answered quickly, ushering her in and taking the bags of groceries from her hands before she could even protest. Connie had always been like that, so nice and willing to help others with anything they asked, he was a true gentleman. Sasha was lucky to have him.

“What are we making today?” Connie asked with a huge smile that made Sasha's heart feel full.

“Veggie stir fry. The market didn't have any meat.” She knew she sounded a little sadder than she had intended at the admission that she couldn't get meat for their meal, but Connie didn't seem to mind.

“Oh, don't worry about it. My family could hardly ever afford meat, so this won't be any different from what I'm used to! Plus, I'm excited to learn how to cook something so that I won't have to ask Jean for help next time. He's still holding that over my head.” Connie rolled his eyes and took the bags to the kitchen where he sat them down on the counter. Sasha trailed after him and started digging through the cabinets when she got there. Connie had a wok, shockingly enough, so she had everything here that she would need to make a good stir-fry.

“So, the first thing we should do is cut up all the vegetables. Can you work on the carrots and peppers? I can get the onions and broccoli.” Sasha started taking charge nearly the moment she stepped foot in the kitchen. She felt at home here, perhaps because she'd been cooking her whole life. She loved food and, in turn, loved being in the kitchen. It was only natural that she'd learned how to cook at a very young age, and she was happy that Connie had asked for her help in learning that himself.

“Sure, I think I can handle that,” Connie answered, digging around in the cupboards to find two cutting boards and two knives. He gave one of each to Sasha before he set up his own station and got to work, meticulously cutting the carrots into thin slices and doing the same with the peppers.

Sasha was quite surprised with the precision with which he cut the vegetables. Was that something he'd learned from Jean or was he just trying that hard to impress her? She wouldn't ask either of those questions, she didn't want to embarrass him, but she couldn't let the moment go without complimenting him.

“Your cuts are really good, Connie!” She said with a smile as she made quick work of her onions and broccoli. She grabbed a few carrots and peppers to speed up the process before she put some oil in the heating wok.

“Thanks! I've been practicing!” He answered.

Once all of the vegetables were cut and the oil was heated, Connie came around to stand next to Sasha. He looked excited to actually start the cooking process as he fidgeted beside her and, if Sasha was being honest with herself, she was excited too because she was getting really _really_ hungry.

“So, first you put in the onions and the carrots because they take the longest to cook,” Sasha said as she threw the two aforementioned vegetables into the wok. It sizzled and came to life as the vegetables hit the hot surface, and Connie watched with rapt attention as Sasha flicked the pan and tossed the contents around. She grabbed a wooden spoon to aid in her stirring and cooked until the onions were translucent and the carrots were just starting to get tender.

“Do I add the rest now?” Connie asked, eying the pile of snap peas, peppers, and broccoli on the counter. Sasha nodded and the pan sizzled to life once more.

“Now get the soy sauce and the other spices and add some in. this part is really up to your own taste, but if you're uncomfortable guessing just add it until I tell you to stop.” Sasha said as she continued stirring. Connie nodded and did as he was told, and soon their dinner was perfectly cooked and ready to be served. Sasha had taken the liberty of cooking some rice to bring over so that they wouldn't have to go through that hassle, and she piled some onto both of their plates before she added the vegetables to the top.

“That was pretty easy. Or at least you make it look easy, Sasha.” Connie said with a shy tone as he dug into his meal. He wasn't looking at her, but she knew that was more than likely because he was blushing and trying to hide it.

“You did a great job! You'll be cooking stir-fry by yourself in no time, Connie!” Sasha said with a smile, and Connie's face lit up so bright that she thought he might catch fire.

“Do you really think so? You think I could be as good as you?” He asked, laying his chopsticks down on his plate to look at her.

“I know so!” She answered.

The rest of their dinner was spent laughing and joking and just generally enjoying each other's company. Sasha had always loved spending time with Connie, but she thought that tonight might have been her favorite evening with him so far. Cooking with Connie was the best night that she could remember in a long time, and she couldn't wait to do it again.


	22. Competing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am literally exhausted, my mind is not working, this was the best I could do. lol I hope it's at least tolerable.

Ever since the last time Eren trained with Annie, he'd been determined to beat her at _something_. She made a fool out of him, tossing him onto the ground and forcing him to give up the fight. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that day that Annie had completely beaten him. So, Eren had made it his mission to compete with her in as many different things as possible. There had to be something she was bad at, and he was going to find it and beat her at it.

The first time he'd challenged her it had been to arm wrestling. She'd admitted that day during training that he was stronger than her, so he was sure he'd be able to overpower her in an arm wrestling match. He was wrong. He was so wrong. She beat him almost as soon as the match started, and Reiner and Jean had laughed at him for four days after. It was really ridiculous how good Annie was at literally everything.

The second time he challenged her was to a foot race. He'd never seen her run before, so he had incorrectly assumed that he would be able to beat her. At first, he thought he _would_ be able to beat her. She'd been lagging behind for most of the race, which was a lap around the entire training grounds, but toward the end, Eren started to lose steam and Annie passed him to win. He was outraged at the time, but he later learned that he'd just been stupid about it and had gone full steam ahead when he should have been pacing himself like she was.

The third competition was in weightlifting. He was sure he would be able to beat her here because, as she'd said before, he was stronger than her. However, apparently, Annie knew how to lift weights better than Eren did because he lifted wrong and hurt himself and had to forfeit. Reiner had laughed at him again for that, but Jean understood his pain since he'd done the same thing trying to impress Mikasa just a few weeks before.

Eren was officially running out of ideas now. He'd been competing with Annie for a little over a week, and she'd won every single time. It was disheartening. It was infuriating. It was a little expected. Annie had always been good at everything she'd tried, so Eren wasn't sure why he'd be able to beat her at anything. The only person that could even keep up with Annie was Mikasa, and the two of them seemed to know they were on par with each other and stayed out of each other's ways. And Eren knew there was _no way_ he'd be able to beat Mikasa, at least not right now, so beating Annie was apparently out of the question. Still, he couldn't help but try one last time.

This time he would challenge her to see how many push-ups she could do. When he approached her she rolled her eyes, but he went on anyway.

“Annie, I wanna have a push-up competition.” He said eagerly, a serious look on his face as he spoke to her.

“You know what? No. I won't compete with you anymore, Eren. You win.” She said, her face stern and slightly irritated.

“What?” He asked, confused.

“I'm not playing this little game anymore, if you're trying to beat me at something, congratulations! You've won! I'm not competing with you anymore! Are you happy now? You beat me at tolerance for bullshit.”

“I...beat you?” He asked, trying to wrap his head around what she was saying. He hadn't wanted to win anything like this. This almost felt like cheating.

“Yeah, congratulations. Now leave me the hell alone, idiot.” She rolled her eyes and walked away, shoving her hands into her pockets as she left and Eren smiled to himself. He hadn't really won anything, he knew that, but somehow he still felt a slight sense of accomplishment. It was probably because Annie was just tired of all the extra work, but Eren had finally won _something_ , and that would work until he could legitimately beat her at a physical challenge. And that day would come soon, he could just feel it.


	23. Arguing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do Levi and Mikasa argue about? Cleaning, of course. 
> 
> This is short because the Christmas festivities are kicking my ass. I hope you enjoy it all the same.

“How many times do I have to tell you to clean up after yourself?” Levi asked as he walked through the kitchen, staring at dirty plates and utensils in the sink that Mikasa had left behind. He knew for a fact he'd told her at least ten separate times to just wash her fucking plates when she was done, but she never listened.

“Apparently a few more. I didn't seem to get it the first time.” She wasn't looking at him, but he could see her rolling her eyes just as well as he could hear the sarcasm dripping from her voice.

“You're fucking hilarious.” He deadpanned, crossing his arms over his chest. “Clean it up.”

“I'll get it later.”

“Get it _now_.”

She turned to look at him then, something between amusement and bewilderment on her face. He could tell she was trying to decide if this was a battle she wanted to fight or not. Apparently, it was.

“I'll get it when I'm ready. What's your problem anyway? Can you really not stand for a few dishes to be left dirty in the sink? It's not like I'm a slob or something.”

“Is it really that difficult to just wash your fucking plate when you're done with it?” He was beginning to lose his patience, and it had already been thin when he started the conversation.

“If it's that important to you then why don't you just do it?” Mikasa asked as she watched him. He knew she was trying to gauge his reaction, and he _would not_ give her the satisfaction of knowing that she was getting under his skin. Not now, not ever.

“Because I'm not your god damn housekeeper and you should know how to clean up after yourself.” He snapped, speaking through gritted teeth. Hiding his anger certainly wasn't working at this point. Maybe if she saw how angry he was she would actually do what he asked. Honestly, he was not sure why he'd agreed to let a brat like her live with him, much less enter a relationship with said brat, but there had to be some reason.

“It's a fucking plate and a fork. I don't understand the issue.” Mikasa rolled her eyes and pushed herself to her feet, walking around the couch she'd been sitting on and squaring up with him. She wasn't standing too close, but he could already feel a shift in the energy surrounding him. Just the thought of her coming closer made him both excited and angry.

Despite all of her problems, he genuinely did enjoy Mikasa's company, and maybe her problems weren't as much _problems_ as they were little things that irked him when they weren't done exactly right. Like cleaning, for example. Everything else about her was perfect. Maybe that's why he'd agreed to let her stay there with him. Yeah. That was probably it. He wasn't sure how he could forget. He took a deep breath before he spoke to her again.

“Just...clean the damn dishes soon. You know I have issues with this shit. I like things to be kept clean.” He finally admitted, trying not to sound like he was giving in to her because that was definitely _not_ what he was doing. He just wasn't in the mood to argue.

“Fine.” She agreed, stepping a little closer to him. “Sorry.”

“Yeah, yeah, save your apologies for when you fuck something up worse than just not washing a plate.” He relented, raking a hand through his hair.

“What equates to fucking up worse than this? Leaving laundry on the floor?” She faked a gasp and covered her mouth with her hand. He rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe that he'd chosen this ridiculous, smart ass woman to be his companion, but even if she was messy, he was glad he had chosen her.


	24. Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know, man, it's been a rough night. This was supposed to be cute and it turned out sad. I hope you enjoy it anyway.

The stars had always been Jean's favorite thing to look at. His favorite thing to look at before he met Marco, anyway. After he met Marco that changed. After he met Marco, the stars were _their_ favorite thing to look at _together_.

It was a tradition. Every Christmas Eve they would go outside, regardless of weather or circumstance, and lay down on the ground and gaze at the stars. It was peaceful, it was special, and it was something that was just _theirs_. It was perfect.

Christmas Eve was never anything special to Jean until the first one he and Marco spent together, looking up at the stars, wishing on them, wondering how many more of these peaceful nights they would have together. There were several times that Jean thought about telling Marco exactly how he felt about him. Several nights where Jean thought about telling Marco that there was no one he would rather spend his Christmas Eve with because Marco was damn near perfect. He never did though. He never got the chance.

Jean and Marco spent exactly three Christmas Eves staring at the stars together, wondering how many more Christmas Eves they had left with each other, and never admitting their feelings to each other before Marco was gone.

Now Jean couldn't bring himself to look at the stars anymore. He couldn't bring himself to be happy about Christmas Eve, or anything really, not since Marco left him. Not since Marco _died_. Now, all Jean could think about on Christmas Eve was that he was alone. Now all Jean could think of when he saw the stars were Marco's stupid freckles and that stupid, adorable smile on his face and how he would _never_ get to see those things again because Marco was _gone_.

This Christmas Eve, Jean spent the night in his room alone, crying into his pillow, wishing that he could look up at the stars, make a wish, and get Marco back. There was nothing he could do now, though. Christmas Eve and the stars would never be the same without Marco, and Jean would never be able to enjoy them again. This Christmas Eve, Jean would do his best not to remember that Marco was gone, and maybe he would be able to enjoy the next day without breaking down.


	25. Happy Birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, it's late. Christmas is a busy day, okay?! Anyway, this is the one-shot for Levi's birthday/Christmas! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, to those who celebrate it, and I hope you enjoy my belated Christmas present to all of you. It may not be a very long or drawn out scene, but this one has an explicit rating. ;)

Levi's birthday and Christmas happened to overlap, and it was for that reason that Mikasa wanted to do something _very_ special for him. He was never very happy about holidays, or his birthday, or anything really, but she thought she might be able to change that tonight.

So, it was only natural that she went out and bought a piece of lingerie, a red lace babydoll dress with white fluff around the top and bottom that left _very_ little to the imagination. She planned to surprise him with it when he walked in the door. That way he wouldn't be able to hate his birthday _or_ Christmas anymore. He would finally have a happy memory from the wretched day, and maybe he would be in a better mood. She could only hope.

When she got home he was already there, sitting in his favorite red wingback chair in their living room by the fire. He was reading a book and looked up only for a moment when she walked in, not saying anything before he returned to his literature. She knew better than to say 'Merry Christmas' or 'Happy Birthday', that would just put him in a foul mood. So, instead, she walked up the stairs with her shopping bags in tow and changed into the see-through birthday/Christmas gift that she'd gotten for Levi and the frilly white thong that she bought to go along with it and made her way back to their living room.

This might not be a typical birthday/Christmas present, but Levi wasn't a typical man. He deserved something extraordinary and special for this occasion, and that just happened to be a frilly piece of lingerie and a good time, in Mikasa's eyes. So, the next time she walked in and he looked up, his eyes lingered a little longer. She'd added a Santa hat to the ensemble as well, just for that extra little emphasis, and she thought she looked great. Judging by the hungry look Levi was giving her, he thought the same.

“Merry Christmas, birthday boy,” Mikasa said as she leaned against the door frame that separated the hallway from the living room.

“That hat looks ridiculous,” Levi said, discarding his book and leaving his chair to move closer to her.

“I'm wearing this,” Mikasa motioned to her body with an incredulous look on her face. “And all you can think about is the fucking hat?”

“I think we should take it off.”

“The hat?”

“All of it.” Levi plucked the hat away from her head and tossed it behind his back before he grabbed her hand and led her hastily up the stairs toward their bedroom. Mikasa smirked as she realized that her plan to make his birthday perfect was working.

They were barely in the room with the door closed before Levi was on her, hands roaming up and down her sides, pushing the delicate piece of lingerie up and over her head. She wondered why she'd bought such an expensive piece of clothing just to have it practically torn off of her and thrown to the ground, but she couldn't bring herself to wonder that for much longer as his hands reached her breasts, pinching nipples as he kissed up her neck to her jawline. She let out a little whimper as he urged her back toward the bed, tripping her and pushing her down.

“So you liked my surprise for you?” She asked in a breathy voice as he removed the thong and tossed it aside. She reached up and started working on his belt, pulling frantically to remove it.

“You could say that.” He answered, moving her hands away to finish undressing himself the rest of the way. Her hands were on him before he even had time to react, jerking him to hardness and earning a soft groan as she did so.

He didn't waste any time pushing into her, relishing the feeling of her sex pulsing around him. She wrapped her legs around his hips before he started thrusting, earning gasps and noises that only he could draw from her. It wasn't going to take long, she could tell from how frantic his thrusts were already becoming. Apparently, the lingerie she'd bought got him more worked up than she has hoped.

She heard his name spill out of her lips before she felt his release inside her and she wasn't far behind as he worked his fingers over her clit, pushing her to her climax. When he rolled off of her and laid on the bed beside her, panting from exertion, she couldn't help but smile at him.

“So, have you changed your mind about this pesky day yet?” She asked, looking over at him as he turned his head lazily to look back.

“If this is how you plan on celebrating my birthday every year I don't mind celebrating with you.” He answered, reaching over and pulling her against him before he kissed the crown of her head.

“I just might do that.” She answered with a smile, cuddling closer to him. “Happy birthday, Levi.”


	26. Sadness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still trying to catch up! Sorry about all the late posts! But this one is a weird kinda modern AU thing just for the sake of the story. I hope you like!

It was strange for Mikasa, spending the amount of time with Jean that she had been for the past few weeks, but it was also comforting, in a way. They'd both gone through tremendous losses, and so close together, and something like that can really make two people feel close to each other. Their situation was no exception.

Mikasa had lost Eren first. He had been stupid and reckless and he'd made a series of bad decisions that had cost him his life. There was nothing any of the doctors could have done to save him, she knew that, he was dead when the ambulances arrived at the scene of the crash, but she still couldn't help but blame them for her loss. If she didn't blame them, she would have to blame _him_ and she just couldn't bring herself to do that.

Jean had lost Marco only a week after Eren. It hadn't been Marco's fault. Marco was always so careful, so aware of his surroundings, but it only takes one second. It only takes a second for Marco's eyes to come off the road. It only takes a moment where he didn't look both ways before driving into the intersection, even though his light was green and he had every right to be there. It only takes a second for the driver of the semi truck to not realize that his light was red and barrel through that same intersection going far too fast for anyone to survive. At least the driver _had_ survived, though. Marco wasn't so lucky. And the driver wouldn't have been either if no one had been there to pull Jean off of him, kicking and screaming and swearing vengeance after he crawled out of the wreckage of the car he and Marco had bought together.

It broke Mikasa's heart all over again when she got the call about Marco. She'd rushed to Jean as quickly as she could. They'd all been friends, the four of them, before Mikasa shut herself away after Eren's death. There was no way she was going to leave Jean alone after something like that, though. She would be there for him regardless of her own miserable situation.

Now, it was almost like they were helping each other to just make it through life. They spent more time together than they ever had for as long as they'd known each other. They did everything together, sometimes they even spent the night at each other's homes and fell asleep in each other's arms, if only because they just longed for the physical affection that they were lacking now that their partners were gone.

Mikasa didn't want anything more from Jean. He was a friend, a confidant, someone she could talk to when she was having bad days and someone she could laugh with when she was having good ones. And she was sure that Jean didn't want anything more either. They were just comfortable in each other's company. Comfortable in the fact that they could be sad around each other and they wouldn't be judged or told to move on like so many other people told them to do.

It had only been a little less than a month since Mikasa lost Eren and Jean lost Marco and people already expected them to just move on and find happiness. Obviously, none of those people had ever been in love before. So, in a way, Mikasa and Jean spending so much time together sated those few people's desires for the two of them to be happy. At least they could act happy while they were with each other, anyway.

For now, they could just keep doing what they were doing, regardless of what people thought of it. They could take solace in the fact that they weren't being judged by one another, and they could feel some kind of comfort and relief. Feel like they aren't alone in this horrible, cruel world, until the day came that they could find their happiness again. For now, this was good enough.


	27. Seduction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey. This is like...two days late, I apologize. I'm going to try and get caught up before the next holiday though, and hopefully just post the remaining prompts! I hope this one was worth the wait!

Levi wouldn't say that he's particularly good at romance or anything that has anything to do with romance, but it had come to his attention that he needed to try a little harder in the relationship department. Mostly because Mikasa had thrown a bitch fit and said that he needed to start trying harder or she was just going to give up. He didn't really want her to give up, but he also had no fucking clue what he was supposed to be doing.

So, as awkward and ridiculous as it might be, Levi had decided to try and have a romantic night planned for Mikasa tonight. _Try_ being the operative word because, as stated before, he had absolutely _no idea_ how to do any of this shit, and that was exactly how he'd gotten into this predicament in the first place.

He'd reluctantly asked Erwin for advice, given the fact that Erwin actually had experience being in relationships with women and this was Levi's first relationship _ever_. Erwin told him to get flowers and chocolate and wine and have a nice dinner ready for Mikasa when she came back from spending time with Eren and Armin. She didn't get to see the two of them often, so when they got together she spent the whole day in their company. Usually, she was exhausted by the time she got home because Eren could be quite exhausting even on a good day, but she would just have to suck it up and bear with Levi today because he was going to be romantic _damn it_.

When Mikasa came home he wasn't anywhere _near_ ready. He'd ordered take out for dinner, which usually couldn't be considered romantic but he had absolutely no idea how to cook a decent meal, and it hadn't arrived yet. So that was one strike against him already. At least he had the flowers, tiger lilies, in a vase by the door where she would see them when she walked in with a note that simply said 'from Levi' with a little scribbled heart next to the text. The box of chocolates was sitting directly beside them. Those were supposed to be for dessert but, to make up for the lack of dinner being on the table, he'd opted to present those as well.

“Levi?” Mikasa's voice carried down the long hallway and into the kitchen, a suspicious, questioning tone was present as he heard the click of her heels bringing her closer to where he was standing. He hadn't really thought this far ahead, but he would just have to go with it.

She rounded the corner and saw him standing there in his nice slacks and a button up shirt and he could practically see the wheels turning behind her eyes when she took in the sight of him. He didn't get dressed up like this for just any occasion, so her next conclusion had to have been that tonight was special in some way.

“Welcome home.” He said, stuffing his hands into his pockets and trying to seem nonchalant about the whole thing.

“What's all this about?” She asked.

“Did you even see the flowers and chocolate?”

“I saw them, but that doesn't answer the question.”

“I'm trying to do something nice for you. You said you wanted more romance or...something. So this is it.”

This was probably the only time Mikasa had ever seen Levi unsure about anything, and it bothered him that he sounded just as unsure as he felt when he uttered the words to her.

“You're trying to be romantic?” She asked, a smile spreading slowly across her lips.

“Dinner was supposed to be here when you got home but you were early. Usually, when you go out with Eren and Armin you're gone for the whole day.” He avoided her question but she took what he _did_ say as confirmation of her inquiry.

“Screw the dinner.” She said, charging forward and grabbing him by the hand.

“What, you aren't hungry?”

“Not for food.” She turned on her heel and started dragging him out of the kitchen toward the bedroom before he caught up to her mood and smirked at the back of her head.

“What's with the sudden mood change?”

“You were trying to seduce me with all this shit.” She answered, not turning to look back at him.

“And?”

“It worked!” She practically growled as she flung the door open and pushed him inside the room. He was pretty sure that he wouldn't have to worry, at least for the moment, about his relationship with Mikasa being in any danger.


	28. Falling in Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 101 OF THE MANGA ARE INCLUDED IN THIS CHAPTER.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a quick spoiler warning! If you haven't read chapter 101 of the manga, I suggest you read it before you read this, because there are some pretty important things from the chapter that I have based this fic off of! That being said, if you don't mind spoilers or if you're caught up with the manga, please enjoy! I had so much fun writing this!

It was easy for Mikasa to pick out when she'd fallen in love with Eren. It was that night. The night that her parents had died. The night that Eren and his father came to their cabin for a routine check-up. The night that Eren had _saved_ her from those horrible men that wanted to take her away to a life that would likely have sent her to an early grave. It was the night that Mikasa decided that she would do whatever she had to for that stupid boy to make him happy.

She'd pledged her whole life to him from that moment forward, saving him from danger, keeping him out of trouble, trying her best to counsel him to do the right thing when he seemed to have lost his way. She had given up hope that he would ever return her affections, though. As far as he was concerned, Mikasa was just his adoptive sister. The girl that treated him like a child. The girl that mothered him so much that he could barely breathe. That was all Mikasa would ever be to him, she knew that, and yet she still harbored the hope that one day she would be able to love him and be loved in return.

Then, he left. He left without so much as a word. The night after they got to see the ocean together. Mikasa, Eren, Armin. Together on the beach, just like they'd always dreamed, but something was different about Eren that day. She'd never seen him so serious, so driven, so determined to do something that he couldn't think of anything else. He hadn't even been as dedicated the day that his mother died, when he pledged himself to the Survey Corps. No, that day, standing there on that beach, he'd already made up his mind. He knew he was going to leave them, and he didn't say anything.

Heichou and Commander Hanji had been furious when they discovered the note that he left. At least he'd done that much. Mikasa couldn't find it in herself to be angry, though, all she could feel was sadness, and she knew that Armin felt it too. She knew that she fell in love with Eren that night that he saved her, but now she knew for sure that he would never love her back because she wasn't even important enough to him to let her know that he was running off to the lion's den. He couldn't even say goodbye to her in person, knowing that he might never return.

Years passed before they heard from him again. Even then, the person that they heard from directly wasn't Eren, it was Eren's half-brother, Zeke. He somehow managed to get a letter to them from inside Marley, detailing his attack plans and telling them where they needed to be to help him if they even wanted to help him anymore. _Of course_ , Mikasa wanted to help him, though. It didn't take much convincing for the others to be on board either. Heichou and Hanji started planning as soon as Zeke left their camp, and Mikasa was so excited to see Eren again that she didn't even care how much danger she'd be putting herself in to get to his side again.

The cue to act came quickly, far more quickly than she thought it would, but she couldn't keep her body from responding to the noises.

“Do it now, Mikasa.”

Hearing her name slip from between Eren's lips for the first time for _four years_ made her want to rush straight for him and forget her duty, but the weight of the thunder spears on her forearms reminded her that she had a job to do first. His voice was different, _deeper_ , more mature and calm, but it was undoubtedly _his,_ and she was so glad to hear it.

After she'd done her job she made her way to his slowly dissolving titan. She perched herself on its shoulder, where Eren was emerging from the steaming body, and she looked into his emerald eyes for the first time in four years and wanted to throw herself at him right then and there. Instead, she managed to speak to him.

“Eren, please...come home”

When he looked up at her she could see the same look she'd been giving him for years in his eyes. He looked at her with the love and affection that she was sure she would never see from him.

“Thank you for coming back for me.” He said, reaching out a hand to her. She pulled him up, took a good look at him, and knew that, at that very moment, Eren fell in love with her, too.

 


	29. Something Sweet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must really be feeling eremika today because this is another one that I'm pretty proud of! I hope you all enjoy!

The war was difficult and long and hellish, but they'd finally made it through. Eren was extracted from Marley, but not without injuries to his comrades. He should have known that would happen, he really should have, but it had been the farthest thing from his mind at the time. Now, after they'd made it back home, the consequences of his decisions came crashing down around him.

Mikasa was injured. She was injured so badly that he had to carry her out of that damned city on his back. Mikasa had _never_ been so injured that Eren had to help her. _Never_. And yet, here she was, lying in a bed back on Paradis, unconscious and clinging to life. It was stupid. It was _selfish_ , and he'd still allowed himself to make those decisions.

Hanji had told him that Mikasa was strong, that she would pull through, and he knew that she was, but there was something inside telling him that he should have just chosen a different plan. For some reason, he was regretting everything he'd done up to this moment. It wasn't hard to figure out _why_ exactly he was regretting it, but it was hard to come to terms with those reasons.

He'd left her side only long enough to buy flowers for her because that was the least he could do after everything he'd put her through. He got the purple ones that used to grow in the field close to their home in Shiganshina. He didn't know the name of them, but he noticed the way she admired them, even all those years ago. Hopefully, she would wake up before they wilted. He sat the flowers on her bedside table under the window, where they could get sunlight and where Mikasa would be able to see them when she opened her eyes. He hoped that she would find the gesture sweet, but he wondered if she would ever look at him kindly again after what happened to her. It was his fault, after all.

Armin came to visit not long after Eren put the flowers on the table. Maybe an hour, maybe four, Eren wasn't concerned with the time. He just kept watching Mikasa's sleeping face, hoping that her eyes would open and everything would be fine.

“We're all glad that you're back, you know. Mikasa is glad that you were able to come back.” Armin said as he watched her sleeping form. Eren wasn't sure how Armin would really know what Mikasa was thinking right now, but he knew there had to be some truth to his words. Mikasa was probably happy that Eren was coming home before she embarked on the expedition to rescue him, but he couldn't imagine that she would be happy now that his actions had caused her so much pain.

“What can I do to help her?” Eren asked quietly. He wasn't even sure that Armin could hear him until he felt his friend's hand on his shoulder. A touch that was meant to sooth away whatever pain Eren was feeling at the moment and reassure him that everything would be fine. It was the same kind of thing that Armin always tried to do, but it didn't work as well this time.

“Hanji says this is all we can do to help, but she thinks Mikasa should be fine! She didn't really sustain any major injuries except the one when she fell and hit her head. And you know Mikasa, Eren, she's always been strong. Stronger than both of us. Stronger than pretty much everyone in the Corps. She'll be fine.”

“I hope so.”

Eren looked at the flowers, but they did very little to bring him any joy at all. The only way he would feel okay again was if Mikasa opened her eyes. He just wanted her to be okay.

Armin left after another hour of trying to make sure Eren was okay. It was a tall order, and one that Armin probably realized he couldn't fill, so he left Eren with another squeeze to his shoulder and reassuring words and Eren was alone with Mikasa again. It had only been six hours since they got back home, but Mikasa had been unconscious for nearly ten. It wasn't normal for her, or really anyone, but everyone kept trying to tell him she would be fine. He was at his wit's end when he finally scooped up her hand and pressed it to his lips.

“This is all my fault. I'm such an _idiot_ for not seeing this sooner, for not just telling you how much you mean to me. Mikasa, if you...” He stopped unable to continue because if he uttered those last words everything would feel real. “You have to come back to me. Please. Come home.”

The words that he said were an echo of the way she'd begged him to leave Marley and come back with her, right before everything had gone wrong. He could only hope that, somewhere deep inside her, she could hear what he was saying to her. He closed his eyes, holding onto her hand tightly, wishing that she would just come back.

And then, without warning, something truly miraculous happened.

Her fingers twitched and he looked up at her face just in time to see her eyelids start to flutter. He lowered her hand to the bed and stood up, releasing her and instead balling his fists at his sides. If he touched her she might break, she might fall back into unconsciousness and never wake up. He briefly thought about running out of the room, running to get Hanji because he had _no idea_ what to do right now except stand in awe of what was happening.

“M-Mikasa...” Her name left his lips as more of a question than anything, but she seemed to hear him and her eyes opened fully, her head turned slightly to look in his direction.

“Eren.” She said, her voice a bit hoarse but still the same sweet, beautiful tone that he remembered. It had been _so long_ since he'd seen her, since he'd heard her voice that his whole resolve to not touch her for fear of shattering this wonderful illusion melted away without a second thought. He practically fell to his knees at the side of her bed, reaching for her hand and clutching it so tightly that it might have hurt anyone else, but this was Mikasa, and Mikasa could take a little bit of pain.

“I thought you were going to die...” He finally admitted, looking down at the floor, his hair falling in his face as hung his head in shame at the situation he'd caused.

“I'm not going anywhere.” She answered, squeezing his hand a little tighter, showing him that she was there for him and that she always would be. He looked up at her face, but she was looking at the flowers. “Did you put these here?”

“Yeah.” He answered, sure that there were a thousand other things that they could talk about.

“They're my favorite, and they're beautiful. Thank you, that was very sweet of you.”

“I wanted you to have something nice to look at when you woke up.”

“You're the only thing I need, Eren, but the flowers are nice too.”


	30. Doing Something Hot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more day to go! I'll probably be posting the very last story in this challenge sometime tonight because I'm sure tomorrow will be hectic. I hope you've all enjoyed this little project of mine! It's been a lot of work, and I know that some of these probably turned out a lot better than others, but I appreciate the support from all of you regardless! Thanks for sticking around until the end!

The day had been long and tiring, full of meetings and pointless busy work that Levi _hated_ but was forced to endure anyway. The paperwork was the worst part, and there had been piles of it, but he was finally on his way back home. He would be able to relax with a cup of tea and forget about the horrible day he'd been put through and hopefully recharge before he would have to do it all over again tomorrow. Despite being able to recharge, though, he knew he would still be in a foul mood when he sulked back into the office tomorrow. Maybe the walk home would calm him down.

He wondered what Mikasa would be doing when he got home. Maybe she would have a nice dinner prepared, or maybe she would be relaxing with tea on their sofa and waiting for him to get home and cuddle up under that ridiculous fluffy blanket she bought in preparation for the winter. The air _had_ been much colder lately, so maybe he could give in, just this once, and share the blanket with her. That was, after all, what winter was for, at least that's what Mikasa had told him in order to convince him to let her buy the stupid blanket.

He hoisted his briefcase up on his shoulder a little further and stuffed his hands into his pockets, picking up his pace in order to make it home faster. The winter season was hitting its full stride now, and a few snowflakes were falling as he walked home today, sending a chill to his bones that he wondered if even tea and the stupid fuzzy blanket could remove. He could only hope those two things, plus Mikasa would do the trick as he rounded the street corner, putting him one block closer to home.

The three block walk from his office to their quaint home wasn't normally a problem, but today he found himself annoyed that he hadn't taken some kind of public transportation. He'd never liked the cold, there was something about it that just didn't agree with him, and the biting wind was making him shiver more today than he could rightly justify. Maybe he just needed companionship that much more, after the ridiculous day he'd had, and his body was trying to tell him that. Regardless, he was almost running by the time he hit the doorstep and opened the door to the sound of music blaring through the house.

It wasn't uncommon for Mikasa to turn her music up to deafening levels, but he hadn't expected it upon arriving home from work, and it caught him a little off guard. What surprised him even more, once he stepped inside and shook the snow off his coat before removing it, along with his shoes, was that she was bopping around the house with a feather duster. She was _cleaning_. Mikasa was cleaning. That was something she _never_ did, at least not without his help. Mostly because she was never able to clean to his standards. Today, though, she had done an exceptionally good job, judging solely by the entryway to their home.

There wasn't a speck of dust left on any of the wooden surfaces of their home. The hardwood floors were spotless, the mirrors were pristine, tables and mantles were tidy and organized. Suddenly he felt a wave of heat that banished the chill from his entire body. The cold air outside was nothing compared to the warmth that he felt as soon as he took in what was happening in his humble little home.

Mikasa hadn't heard him come into the house, so she was surprised when he rushed up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer and planting quick kisses up and down her neck. She giggled and laid the feather duster on the table she'd been cleaning, placing her hands on his arms as he continued his assault.

“What's all this for?” She asked, turning her head back to try and get a look at him.

“I think this is the single most attractive thing I've ever seen you do.” He answered, spinning her around so that she faced him. “Hot, even.”

“You realize that you've seen me in lingerie?” She quirked an eyebrow upward, but her smile never left her face.

“Nothing hotter than someone who knows how to clean correctly.”

“You're the strangest man I've ever met.” Mikasa laughed, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, pressing their foreheads together and looking into his eyes as if to say that she loved him despite whatever weird quirks he might have. And he loved her just as much, even if she only just learned how to clean properly.


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS! I did it! It might be a day late, but the challenge is complete! Thanks so much to everyone that read these one-shots! It was difficult, at times, but I'm glad that I decided to do this! Now, enjoy some New Year's Eve Jeankasa and look forward to what's coming in the new year!
> 
> Happy New Year, everyone!

Parties weren't really Mikasa's thing, but she really couldn't bring herself to deny Jean what he'd asked for. New Year's Eve was special, after all, and he really seemed to want to take her somewhere nice for their first one together. She'd agreed, and even bought a new black dress with a pretty, silver, glittery shine for the occasion. He'd told her that she would need to dress up to go where he planned to take her, and she didn't argue. She only smiled and made her plans.

Jean had been gone nearly all day, and she was wondering if he was even going to be back in time to make it to the party. However, after she'd gotten dressed and slipped her feet into her black heels, finishing off her look with a red lipstick that she knew Jean loved, he walked in the front door.

When Mikasa saw him she contemplated just skipping the party and staying in to have a more personal evening together. He was dressed in a well-tailored black suit, a black shirt underneath, and a sparkly silver bow tie. She wasn't sure how he knew what to get to match her, but she wasn't complaining. He looked amazing. His hair was slicked back with some kind of gel and he looked like the most handsome man she'd ever seen. She was actually taken aback at the sight of him. She always knew that he cleaned up well, but he looked especially handsome tonight.

“You look fantastic.” He said before she could even utter a word. Mostly because she was a bit in shock at his outfit, but also because he was just too fast.

“You clean up pretty well yourself.” She answered with a smile. She couldn't help but let a blush creep over her cheeks as she looked at him, and he didn't miss it. He flashed her that cocky smile that he knew she liked and helped her into her jacket before he held out his hand for her to take.

“We'll be late if we stand here gawking at each other for much longer. We'll have plenty of time for that later. Are you ready to get to the party?”

“If we must.” She let a devilish smirk play across her lips as she took his hand and squeezed a bit, and she could have sworn that she saw a moment of hesitation in his eyes before he led her out the door. When they were outside in the chilly December air, she noticed a car that wasn't normally parked in their driveway. It was some fancy sports car, although she had no idea what kind, but she knew it was something far above what either of them could afford. She blinked at him in surprise for a moment before he tugged her around to the passenger's side of the car and opened the door for her. Once she was safely inside the car, Jean walked around to the other side and got in himself.

“Where did this come from?” She asked as she ran her hands over the smooth leather seats, savoring the feeling of a car that was way too expensive for anyone in their right mind to actually buy.

“It's a rental. I want tonight to be special for you, so I thought I should get something other than my old beat up junker.” Jean answered as he turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. All Mikasa could think was that she was thankful it wasn't snowing because there was no way this car would hold up on icy streets. She didn't say much else as Jean threw the car into gear and drove them away from their small home and into the city.

As the city lights passed them by, she found herself wondering where exactly he was going to take her. There were several fancy restaurants in the area that would be having parties for New Year's Eve, but she imagined that most of his budget for the night had probably gone into renting this ridiculous car. So where, then, could he possibly be taking her for their New Year's Eve date? The question had her stumped until they pulled into a parking garage beside one of the most prestigious clubs in the city.

“Can we even afford the cover charge?” She asked as Jean helped her out of the car and clicked the key fob, causing a flash of lights and a sharp honk of the horn before he shoved the keys into his pocket and held out his arm for her to hold on to. She gladly took his arm and they walked together toward the door that would lead them onto the street and to the long line of bystanders that were waiting to gain entry to the club.

“I know a guy.” Jean smiled. Mikasa suddenly found herself wishing that she'd worn some more practical shoes for standing when she saw just how long the line was, but she was shocked when the bouncer nodded at Jean and ushered them through the door the moment they got there.

“Is this also because you 'know a guy'?” She asked as Jean helped her remove her coat and took it to the coat check for safe keeping.

“I wouldn't have even been able to get us in here if I didn't.”

“Well, if you're trying to impress me, it's working.” She said with a flirty smile as she leaned a little closer to Jean.

“Not trying to impress. I just want our date tonight to be special, that's all.” He answered, and grabbed her hand again and started pulling her toward the bar.

They had a few drinks before they really felt comfortable dancing, but once Mikasa was loosened up she was able to sway and move her hips to the music without a care in the world. Jean appeared to be equally as relaxed as they danced together, completely disregarding the rest of the people in the crowded club around them. They'd come here to have fun, so the least they could do was let loose a little and do just that. The time had apparently gotten away from them, though, as they heard the DJ announce that the countdown to midnight would be starting in five minutes.

“Shit, Mikasa, come with me, hurry!” Jean suddenly grabbed Mikasa's hand and led her toward the bar, ordering two glasses of champagne and handing her one of them before he whisked her away again.

“Where are we going in such a hurry?” She asked with a little giggle, clearly still quite intoxicated from the few drinks they'd had before.

“Just follow me. You'll love it, I promise.” He smiled back at her and she couldn't help but do what he asked, following him up several flights of stairs before they came to a door. When he opened it, she could see that he'd taken her to the roof of the building. There was no one else out there, that she could see, and as she followed him out she found herself wishing she hadn't left her coat downstairs. She wrapped her arms around herself as best she could while still holding her champagne flute and looked around at the clear night sky.

“I thought you'd want to be down there with everyone else to ring in the new year.” She said, wandering over to his side and subconsciously nuzzling against him for warmth.

“You're the only person I need to be with when the clock hits midnight. I just thought you might like a little excitement tonight.” He answered. He seemed to notice that she was cold, then, because he removed his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders before he took a sip of his champagne.

“Aren't you supposed to wait until midnight to drink it?”

“I've got something else in mind for midnight.”

“Oh?” She quirked an eyebrow upward as she watched him, but he only smiled and looped an arm around her shoulders to pull her closer.

“I'm glad I got to spend this past year with you, Mikasa. It's been the best year of my life.” He looked dead at her then, his eyes holding all the proof she needed that every word he'd uttered to her just now was true.

“Don't get all sappy now.” She giggled, looking away for a moment before she locked eyes with him again. She knew that wasn't the answer he was looking for, and she also knew that she could give him the correct one. “I've really enjoyed our time together too, Jean, thanks for putting up with me.”

“You must be the easiest person in the world to 'put up with', I really mean it, Mikasa. I've loved every second of it. I love you.”

The moment the last word left his lips, fireworks popped up in the distance and boomed to life, startling Mikasa out of the moment for just long enough for her to be caught by surprise when he pressed his lips against hers. It wasn't like they'd never kissed each other before, they'd done it plenty of times, but somehow this time seemed special. It took all she had in her not to drop her champagne flute due to the shock of it all. Jean had gone to all this trouble to make this night as romantic as possible. He rented some ridiculous sports car, got them into the fanciest club in their city, they danced and laughed and had the most wonderful time, and then he confessed his love to her at the stroke of midnight as fireworks went off in the distance. That, she realized, was what made this kiss so much different from all their other kisses. He'd never admitted that he loved her before and, in that moment, with the fireworks going off behind them, she knew that she loved him too. She wasn't sure how she hadn't realized it before now.

When they finally broke the kiss she was breathless but in the best way possible. She leaned her forehead against his, smiling at him and trying to convey exactly how happy she really was in this moment.

“I love you too, Jean.” She said, and she didn't even care that her champagne crashed to the ground the next time he attacked her with a flurry of kisses, because Mikasa was the happiest she'd ever been in her entire life, and a little spilled champagne wasn't about to change that.


End file.
